The Arrangement
by bluesky5678
Summary: Christian has finally found a woman he can tolerate and who will be approved of by his mother. But ...ohhh,, the complications.


**Hello, here is #7. Usual deal. Completed. I've named it The Arrangement. Christian has finally found a woman he likes well enough although she is only short-term. Long enough to get his mother off his back. The woman likes him well enough, too. Their agreement, however, gets complicated…in oh so many ways. **

**Characters belong to E. L. James **

**My thanks to those who alerted me to the formatting issues with this story. The entire second half was all running together and barely readable. I have spent hours trying to repair the damage. I hope I did.**

**There are 31 chapters and an epilogue.**

**THE ARRANGEMENT**

**CHAPTER 1**

Oh, crap, thought Christian. He usually made excuses but this was a mandatory Sunday brunch with the family and a strange vehicle parked out front. He was 28 and had successfully dodged his parents attempts to set him up with a bride since he was 22. He had begun his own business after finishing Harvard and had used the excuse that he was too busy to be a husband to anyone. Now, however, his business, Grey Enterprises Holdings, was a multi-billion-dollar concern owned solely by him and so his parents were constantly dogging him to "complete" his life with a wife.

Their taste in wives was horrible, as well. She had to be well-educated, well-bred, appropriately dressed for her station in life and all round presentable as the wife of a very important man. Because much of the staff on the 30th floor of Grey House was tall and blonde, his parents assumed that he liked tall blondes. He did not. That's why he hired them…so he would not be tempted or distracted.

The women they brought home were also accustomed to the best in all things and thought themselves entitled to the same. Although Grey had always tried to keep a low profile, his picture had shown up often enough in various publications that women knew that he was a very good-looking man….and then, of course, there were the billions.

Grey was content with his current lifestyle…. work, work, work and working out. His sex life was what his brother, Elliot, referred to as the Fuck and Duck. Dinner, making out, fucking. In the morning, he was gone by dawn. The woman, no matter how good in bed, was never a repeat experience. He would leave a nice Thank You note and wish them a good life. However, it would not be with him. He never gave the impression that he was looking for a girlfriend or even a friend with benefits. He was up front with them that he was a loner who would be delighted to dedicate an evening to them but nothing more. Of course, they never believed him. They believed that he was afraid of commitment, that he'd just never met the right woman, that after an evening with them, he'd want a second evening.

The thought of coming home to some woman who wanted his attention chilled him to the bone. And then there was the other expectation…children. The pitter-patter of little elephant feet and cries of "Daddy, play with me" made him cringe. His hand gripped his parents' door knob as he walked into his doom.

Gretchen, his parents' housekeeper, batted her eyes at him as usual. Being in a sour mood, Grey stared at her with fake concern and told her that she should get that eye condition checked out. He smiled to himself when her face reddened with embarrassment.

His father was usually in his study so Grey ducked in there first to avoid the latest blonde. To his surprise, his dad wasn't hiding out as he usually did. Grey poured himself a Jim Beam and snuck a look around the door. No one. It was Sunday, right? Where was everyone? He ventured further into the living room and dining room and finally found himself at the basement door. His mother referred to it as the lower level because basement was so 'common'. He heard raucous laughter, cheering and Kate, Elliot's girlfriend, bellow, "SUCKER!" Then he heard Elliot groan, yell "fuck" and his mother yell "Elliot". So, curious, Grey walked quietly down the stairs, trying to avoid being noticed just yet.

Mia was sitting with Kate. Christian was looking forward to the day that Elliot tired of this bleached blonde annoyance. His parents were sitting together on the couch with his father's arm around the back, caressing his mother's neck. He always marveled that they were still so hot for each other after 30+ years.

Elliot was steaming on one end of the ping-pong table and glaring at the small brunette on the other end whose smile was beaming with victory. Grey thought that she was kinda cute….maybe a potential fuck and duck.

"Again, El?" Her voice was soft….. mellow and soothing, like a great bourbon.

_What the hell?_ Grey admonished himself.

"I've had it with you, Steele. I am going to be merciless this next round. I'll have you on your knees, begging for compassion and clemency for your gleeful mocking of me."

" You'd have a better chance of her on her knees, sucking…"

"KATE," Elliot roared, "my parents are in the room _and_ my baby sister!"

Kate and Mia collapsed with hysterical laughter while Grace and Carrick just shook their heads in bemusement.

Grey decided to make his presence known, clinking the ice in his glass.

"Behold, the prince of Seattle has graced us with his presence," declared Elliot.

"Fuck off, El," retorted Christian…..which was quickly followed by Kate and Mia laughing that with so much humiliation heaped on him, they didn't think that he could.

"Christian, darling, you're here!" marveled Grace.

"If I recall the conversation," grinned Carrick, "you more or less threatened his balls if he didn't show up this time."

"Cary, is it possible for the men in this family to have _some_ dignity?"

"NO!" Everyone yelled at once.

Even Grey was laughing, unusual for him. He took a quick glance at the girl his brother called Steele. She was pretty, he thought. Quite pretty on second thought. Hell, she was beautiful. Long shiny mahogany hair, bright blue eyes, slender..even fragile…and that shy smile. His quick glance became a long look. She noticed his stare and slightly cocked her head to one side as if confused by his riveted gaze.

"Have we met?" she timidly asked. "I'm so sorry if I've forgotten you. I'm bad with faces….and with names."

"No, we haven't met. I'm Christian."

"Oh, yes. El mentioned you. I'm An…."

"Christian," Grace interrupted, "this is Anastasia Rose Steele, Katherine's roommate."

'Katherine' just rolled her eyes. Grace had a thing about names. She like them 'whole' as she put it. No nicknames….except for Carrick.

Christian put out his hand. "Pleased to meet you, Anastasia. That is an unusual name and a very pretty one."

Anastasia blushed. "My father was reading a book about the czar and the revolution while my mother was in labor. However, I go by Ana. My full name takes too long to say."

"So, I take it that I missed a round or two of my brother being shamed at his favorite sport? I'd really like to see that again," grinned Christian.

"Too bad. The moment has passed," Elliot responded with a mock haughty sneer. My temper has cooled and I no longer feel vengeful. I'm letting Ana off the hook.".

"Not even a quick disgrace?" snickered Ana.

"I'm hungry. Now that my infamously handsome brother is with us, let's get this dinner going."

CHAPTER 2

As the others climbed the stairs, with Grey's eyes beaming laser-like at the pert bottom of Ana Steele, Elliot complained to his brother about being bested by 'that little girl' and that if he had only arrived on time, they could have eaten and skipped Ping-Pong. Grey was not sympathetic.

"Maybe you could beat her at basketball. Her hands don't look big enough to even hold the ball."

"Hmm…..muttered Elliot.

Although usually at these brunches, Mia did all the talking, at this one, for some reason, everyone was chattering away. For the first time, Christian noticed the interactions between Kate and Elliot. She was good to him. She seemed to think that he was quite funny and she gave him her cherry pie. He spooned ice cream into her mouth and kissed her forehead several times. He told his parents about her bout with fever a few nights back and how it scared him so much that he was sticking the thermometer into her ear all night. Kate looked at him and said, "Is that why my ear hurt in the morning and you were too exhausted to go to work?" She called him an idiot and hugged his arm.

His parents shared stories about their children's' illnesses through the years.

"Mostly, what kept us up at night were Christian's nightmares until Elliot took over."

Ana looked at Christian curiously but said nothing. In fact, mostly she said nothing. She laughed, she smiled but she didn't share. He waited for an opening to bring her into the conversation but couldn't find one…probably because he himself wasn't much good at conversation. The women he "dated" talked about themselves while he tried to look interested and kept filling their wine glasses. Then he'd be invited by them to come up to their place for a nightcap. At some point they'd lunge for him and the makeout would begin. There would be a lot of giggling and panting and ending up in the bedroom, tearing each other's clothes off, fucking every which way for hours. As dawn closed in, Christian would be energized and his partner would be sleeping like the dead. At some point during their "date", Christian would ensure that an NDA was signed. A copy of the signed non-disclosure agreement would be left on his pillow.

His parents' annual gala for their Coping Together charity could be interesting since many of the guests were former dates of Christian's who had to stay away from him, as dictated by the NDA, and kept ducking his presence. Sometimes, just for shits and giggles, Christian would place himself within range of women who then had to move to avoid him.

"Well, I'd better get washing up," said Grace.

"Mom, you cooked. Where is Gretchen?" asked Elliot.

"She wasn't feeling well and she did look sick so I sent her home," replied Grace. Christian studied his plate.

"I'll load the dishwasher and then wash the stemware in the sink," offered Ana.

"You are our guest, Ana. We don't put our guests to work after dinner," reminded Grace. Ana made futile attempts to help out often but today seemed determined to be of use.

"Okay, I'll put myself to work. I like to wash dishes and the view out your window over the sink is very beautiful. Kate, tell Grace."

Kate laughed. "She does, she really does like to wash dishes. When we lived together, I was completely useless."

"You still are, " grinned Elliot. "I'll probably have to birth our children," he laughed, as Christian inwardly cringed at the thought of Kate's kids running amok at family gatherings.

"Just bring your plates into the kitchen while I get the dishwasher ready. Elliot, carry your mother's things," Ana ordered.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Mia, I'll wash and you dry, okay?" As Mia began to whine, Christian piped up with his offer to dry. Every head, except Ana's, swiftly swiveled in shock. "Do you even know what a dish towel looks like, bro?" Elliot spoke in disbelief.

"I can figure it out, El, unlike you and a Ping-Pong paddle."

Ana was already in the kitchen, starting up the dishwasher. As people brought in their plates, she stacked them. Then she filled the sink with warm water and began washing the delicate stemware. She didn't seem to notice Christian looking through drawers for towels until he finally found a roll of Bounty. He unrolled thick piles as he carefully dried each glass, concentrating so much that he didn't notice Ana watching him. There were paper towels everywhere before he'd even dried six glasses. The kitchen was, well, awash in them. Ana reached out, gently touched his hand and pointed to a drawer filled with cloth dish towels. He looked up at the mess he'd created and actually blushed in embarrassment.

"Guess I'm really not much of a help, am I?" he apologized.

"That's okay, Christian. You're doing your best and you're the only one who offered to help at all. Thank you. Drying is tougher than washing anyway. The towel gets damp quickly and then you have to get another one."

"Hmm…Ana? You were quiet at dinner. Did we overwhelm you?" Christian asked.

"No, I was just enjoying listening. You didn't say much either, I noticed."

"I never do unless it's to annoy Elliot. Mia usually does most of the talking. Tonight was different. I don't know why."

"Well, it was quite nice. The food was great and the company as well. Kate told me that you don't usually come to Sunday brunches. Your family seemed thrilled to see you. You're lucky to have such sweet siblings and parents."

"Maybe I am. Maybe I take them for granted. What about your family? Who do you have?" Christian found himself actually wanting to know about this girl.

"It's just me and my stepfather."

"There, all the stemware is cleaned and put away. The dishwasher should be finished soon.

Christian knew a side-step when he heard one. "You don't want to talk about this, do you?" he asked gently.

"No. I don't mean to be mysterious but my mother is a tough topic and my years with her and without Ray were rough. Eventually, Ray got me back, formally adopted me and had Carla's rights terminated. I was 10 and I was home finally. I haven't seen or heard from Carla in 12 years. I don't even know if she's still alive.

Hey, let's see what's happening out in Greyland central." she shyly smiled.

Christian followed Ana out of the kitchen, texting his investigator, Welch, as to the whereabouts and well-being of Carla Steele. He had a feeling that she needed to stay away for good.

An hour later, one of Kate's migraines hit her hard and fast. Elliot automatically took a pill bottle out of her purse and leapt up to get her a glass of water. Meanwhile, Ana had Kate lie down while she massaged her temples and then began singing softly to her. Kate was panting and pale with the pain.

"Listen to my voice, Kate," Ana whispered. "Breathe in deeply, hold, and exhale slowly. Keep going… again." Kate struggled with it but obeyed while Ana sang in the sweetest voice Christian had ever heard. Within 10 minutes, Kate was asleep. Elliot lifted her head, Ana slid out and Elliot slid in, continuing to massage her temples.

Elliot looked up uncertainly at Ana and she smiled at him. "You've got this, Elliot. Don't worry. She'll be fine."

"Seeing her hurt like this just kills me, Ana." Elliot was nearly in tears.

"I know, El. I've watched for years. Took me a long time to get used to it. I get through because I know she'll be okay when she wakes up. It would, however, hurt if she saw how frightened_ you_ are… so be strong and she won't be scared."

Elliot nodded and leaned down to kiss Kate's forehead. Christian was stunned. He'd never seen his brother this way. Elliot had been the manwhore of Seattle and fought his mother's demands that he come to yet another dinner to meet yet another blonde. Six months ago he'd brought home Kate. He was clearly deeply in love with a girl who regularly told him to go fuck himself.

Ana kissed Elliot's head and then quietly spoke with Grace while Christian watched Elliot and Kate. When he looked up again, he couldn't see Ana, figured she'd gone to the loo and waited for her return. After 15 minutes, he asked his mother if Ana was feeling all right since she hadn't come back.

"She's fine, dear. She just needed to get going."

"Oh, she didn't say goodbye," he frowned.

"You liked her, didn't you?" smiled Grace.

"Sure, she seemed nice, I guess. Kinda rude to just leave without a word, tho," grimaced Christian.

"You _always_ sneak out without a word to anyone," chided Grace.

"Who owns the car in the driveway?" asked Christian.

"That car is Kate's. Ana is running home. She knows that Kate will be spending the night here."

"WHAT? It's nearly 10 pm. It's raining. How far is her place?"

Grace gave him Kate's address and smiled slyly to herself as Christian looked horrified.

He ran out to his R8 and tore out of the driveway, racing down the roadway, watching for Ana. Her place was miles away. What the hell could she be thinking?

CHAPTER 3

After 30 minutes, he still hadn't seen Ana. He thought that she must have a back street-cutting-between-buildings kind of route. He'd never find her so he drove to the apartment she shared with Kate and waited until she ran up. She bent over, leaning on her knees, taking in gulps of air and then did some stretching before she walked inside. It was almost 12 am. Christian didn't understand why but he felt furious. He needed to yell at someone. He went to her door.

"Christian!" Ana was surprised, to say the least. What could he be doing at her door at nearly midnight?

"You just opened the door!" yelled Christian. "Didn't ask who it was. No peephole. You ran home in the dark and the rain!"

All of it poured out of him in a pile of words and anger. "AND you didn't say goodbye to anyone but Mom."

"Well, your mother was the hostess, so….." Ana was confused by his ferocity. "What are_ you_ doing here?"

He glared at her. Oh, my, she thought. He _was_ devastatingly handsome and commanding. She wasn't frightened but she was feeling something all right. She sat demurely on the sofa, watching him while he ranted about self-preservation and women running around in the dark and look at her, she was soaked!

"Where is your bathroom?" he demanded. Maybe he was going to vomit. He certainly seemed upset enough.

He emerged with towels, a hair dryer and told her to sit still. Then he began drying her hair. Once he had her hair dry, he ordered her to get out of her wet clothes and put on the fluffy robe hanging in the bath. When she returned, she found him trying to raise the temperature on her thermostat.

"Why doesn't this thing work?" he growled.

"It's set by the landlord and locked in place," Ana answered. "I requested the low temperature. Hmm…thank you for taking care of me, Christian."

"Taking care? I never take care of anyone. I'm just being pragmatic," he growled again.

" Oh, I see. Will you be going now?" Ana asked. He detected reluctance in her voice. Did she want him to stay for a while? What did she need? Maybe he should have Sawyer come over to install a peephole and a better lock. An 80 year-old lady could knock down that flimsy door.

"How did you end up at my parents' house for dinner?" he asked with suspicion. She certainly wasn't the usual set-up. Was his mother trying out a new angle?

"I've been to Grey Manor several times for dinner and Sunday brunch….ever since Kate met Elliot. The first time Grace invited her and said that she wanted Kate to meet one of her sons. Kate was nervous. She hardly knew your mom and blind dates are not her thing. Thus, I went along… to be a cushion, I guess. I immediately loved Elliot. Who wouldn't? Such a great guy but the attraction was only friendship….which was good because he and Kate fell in love at first sight. It was really fun to watch. Mesmerizing, actually."

"But you kept coming even tho' you were no longer needed for cushioning?" Christian wondered.

"Well, your mother kept inviting me and, honestly, have you ever tried to say no to Grace?" giggled Ana.

"So, yep, I kept coming. I've gotten to know your family pretty well. You know how your father always has everyone hold hands while he does the blessing? Grace sat next to him and reached across an empty chair and place setting to take my hand. There was a definite sadness in the air.

"I've never seen them like they were tonight. Everyone talking. Everyone laughing. So relaxed. You're a little shit, you know?" she said without anger, rather like she was commenting on the weather.

Christian stared at Ana. She was standing in front of him in that robe, her blue eyes both soothing and arousing him. She took a step back. He took a step closer to her. Without thinking, he slowly moved the robe off her shoulder and buried his face in her skin, her hair. Then he put his mouth on her lips…my god, they were so soft.

"Open your mouth. Now," he quietly commanded. She parted her lips slightly, just enough for him to gently push his tongue in to touch her tongue. Slowly, at first, he deepened the kiss until her tongue responded. As they kissed, he opened her robe and slipped his hands inside. Firmly, he cupped a breast and then, breaking the kiss, he took a breast in his mouth, suckling and then gently biting her nipple. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and kissed her again. This time she hesitantly reached her arms up and around his neck, pulling him to her while she ran one hand through his hair. He groaned with the pleasure of it.

He leaned down, picked Ana up and stumbled into her bedroom. He stood her up for a moment and removed her robe. She stood before him, naked and glorious. He'd never seen a woman so beautiful. On her face was an expression he couldn't decipher. It wasn't fear or lust or even desire. But it didn't matter. He was Christian Grey. He wanted her. He was coming for her. That was all that mattered.

"Lie down. On your back. Lift your knees and open your legs," he ordered. She obeyed.

While he removed his clothes, he stared at her…all of her. He felt entranced.

She stared back at him, gasping when he removed his boxer briefs. His penis was thick and long. His body was lean and muscular and his eyes….his gray eyes were dark.

"I want to taste you," Christian said. "Lie still."

As he licked her clit, sucked on her folds and lapped up her juices, she tried to stay still but she couldn't help arching her back and whimpering. And suddenly, he put his fingers inside her and immediately found that elusive g-spot. After massaging it for just a minute, Ana exploded, screaming out her orgasm. While she was still reeling from the aftershocks of the earthquake inside her body, Christian slipped into her.

He began slowly, slipping in and out. Then he grabbed her knees and slipped them over his shoulders. He wanted to go deep, deep and hard. He'd never needed to be inside a woman so badly. He felt, indeed, like he'd never before really been inside a woman.

Ana clenched her muscles around his cock, over and over. She wasn't really aware. It came naturally. He looked into her eyes. It was too intense. He buried his face in her shoulder and came like thunder. He was drenched, panting…and it wasn't just from the exertion, he knew. He slipped her legs off his shoulders and wrapped them around his back, his arms wrapped around her tightly.

"Can you breathe? Am I holding on too tightly?" he asked. He was trembling. He couldn't let go. _Please don't make me let go,_ he silently begged of her.

In response, she tightened her arms around his back and neck, then reaching up, began running a hand through his hair.

"Oh, god, Ana, Ana," was all he could get out.

When he awoke, the room was strange. He felt different. The light in the room was quite dim but he could make out the form of a sleeping woman and felt her arm lying across his chest. Suddenly, she moaned and rolled over on her side, facing away from him. He missed that arm so he rolled over and spooned the woman. She was so warm and soft. He slept again.

He smelled bacon and coffee. The curtains were open and light poured in. He checked his phone. It had been turned off. He never turned it off. He had to be constantly available. 10 a.m! What the bloody hell! He had texts and messages…too many to count. He called the office. "Andrea, anything going on?"

"Well, there was but Ros took care of it. Take your medicine and come in tomorrow if you're feeling better, okay? Bye."

Furious and confused…why did Andrea think he was ill?...he pulled on his boxers and stormed into the kitchen. He stopped in his tracks and felt unknown emotions sweep through him. Ana.

"You called my office and said that I was too sick to come in today?" More an accusation than a question.

"They were stunned. Andrea told me that you never got sick. She's quite nice. I think she's sending flowers."

Christian noted that Ana was wearing very little….a tank top and shorts. His dick rose up to salute her.

"Okay," he heard himself say. Just okay. No argument.

"Sit down and have breakfast. There are pancakes, eggs, bacon, juice or you can have cereal, if you prefer.

"Pancakes and eggs sound great."

"Good. Bacon isn't really good for a body anyway."

Christian watched as Ana set a plate in front of him. God, she looked delicious. He didn't want breakfast. He wanted Ana. He wolfed down his food and then ran into the bathroom and brushed his teeth. He ran back out to the kitchen where Ana was leisurely eating eggs. He stood looking at her. Waiting. She looked at him and blushed, understanding what he wanted. She put her fork down. She excused herself to brush her teeth. She felt his eyes on her.

"Christian," she called from the bath, "would you like a shower?"

Seconds later, he had slipped from his boxers and into Ana up against the shower wall, his tongue in her mouth. The groaning and moaning went on until both were satisfied. "Bed," Christian said.

"Yes," Ana agreed.

The day was a blur of sex and more sex, occasional breaks for fuel and showers, then more sex. Neither could get enough of the other. He ran his mouth over every inch of her and she kissed every inch of him. He lost count of the blowjobs. After the last one, Ana got up to pee and brush her teeth, calling out that with swallowing all that semen, she'd gained 3 lbs.

When Ana got up to make dinner, Christian checked his phone and saw a text from Welch. Carla, he read, was divorcing husband #5. The bad news was that she'd purchased a one-way flight to Seattle. He reached for Ana's phone as it rang.

Before he even spoke, Carla began talking. She was in a bad way, she said. She was spending the little money she had on a plane ticket and was coming to live with Ana until she could get back on her feet. "Ana, Ana, say something," she croaked out with a smoker's voice.

"Excuse me, ma'am. There is no Ana here," Christian said with all the sincerity that he could manage.

"What? This is her number, I'm sure."

"Well, perhaps she got a new phone. I've had this number for a while now."

"What is your address?" Carla sounded suspicious.

"I live on Avenue North.

"How long have you lived there?"

"A while now. Listen, I don't like to share personal information with strangers. Hope you find your friend. Goodbye now."

"Welsh, change this number and sync it up with the numbers in Ana's phone book. Also, enter a fake address on Avenue North."

"Yes, sir. I take it this woman is bad news."

"Very bad."

Christian knew he should tell Ana but he was afraid that she would be upset…either because of her mother or because he took it upon himself to lie to her mother.

Ana decided on both. She told him to get out. When he left, he lingered for a moment at the door. He could hear her crying. It took all his restraint to keep from knocking down the door and running to her. He'd told her to please call him…whenever she wanted to.

CHAPTER 4

She wanted to several days later. Simple words. "Christian, please come."

When he arrived, he found Ana sitting on the floor against her door, arms wrapped around her knees and rocking back and forth. He squatted down in front of her, reaching a hand out to touch her cheek. He was disturbed that she seemed to have tranced out.

"Ana, I'm here now. I'll take care of you." Trembling, pale and with tears slipping down her cheeks, she allowed him to help her up and inside. She was shivering in his arms. A haggard old woman was sleeping it off on her couch.

"I heard a knock, she staggered in, said nothing and fell on the couch. I wasn't even sure who she was at first. I don't know how she found me. I checked her phone. She doesn't have any of my contacts.

Now that Grey was there, Ana calmed down. She massaged her temples. Christian went into her bath and checked the medicine cabinet, returning with aspirin and a glass of water. Ana didn't question. She just took the pills and drank the water.

"Do you have any idea of what you'd like to do here, Ana?" Christian put his arm around her shoulder as they stared down at the woman on the couch. "How old is your mother, by the way?" She looked to be around 60 and not a good 60.

"She's 40, 41. She had me when she was just 18. She was a heavy drinker back then already and a chain smoker. She blamed her bad habits on grief….and me. My father, she said, was rushing to the hospital when he crashed. So, my fault. I made her marry a man she didn't love because I was sickly and his job provided health insurance. When she had to get out, she had to take me with because her new man liked me. He tried to touch me and I kicked him in the nose so he left. My fault. And so on."

"Okay, Ana. We have a couple of options. I can have her on a plane back to Georgia by tonight."

"She'll be back. Somehow, she'll find a way."

"We can leave her here and you'll come home with me. My building has security. She won't get near you."

"I'll have to leave to go to work. She'll follow. God, I'd die if she walked into my office."

"I never asked. Where do you work?"

"SIP, a small publishing house. I'm an editorial assistant."

"I can have you driven in one of my cars. Tinted windows. My driver can keep her out of your building.

When she leaves here to find you, we'll gather her things, change the locks."

"What if she gets a job, never leaves, follows me around, finds out that I know a rich man….it'll never end, Christian. I'll never be free and neither will you. You have to go now. I shouldn't have called you. It wasn't right to drag you into this. It isn't your problem." Ana was starting to breathe hard. As she hyperventilated, she sank to the floor. Christian picked her up and carried her into her bedroom. Together, as they lay on the bed, Christian hummed to her the way he'd seen her with Kate. Ana began to calm and then to sleep.

Christian tried to think. Ana was right about Carla finding out about him. She'd stand outside his building and yell. It wouldn't be the first time some loon tried to get his attention but it would be the first time that the loon's daughter would be caught in the middle and exposed to the public. He needed to talk to Taylor.

"Taylor, we have a problem. No! No one is pregnant. Why does your brain always go there? Geez….anyway, come over to Ana Steele's apartment right away." He pulled the duvet over Ana's sleeping body and kissed her head. Then he texted her address to Taylor.

He went out to the living area to stare at Carla. What a sight. Maybe she had blue eyes. He leaned over and opened one. Yep, blue. Not brilliant blue like Ana's. Watery, faded blue like a very old chain-smoking alcoholic. She was younger than Grace but she looked 100. Maybe she needed to be sent to rehab or even a long-term institution. Christian thought of an old black and white movie called The Snake Pit and he smiled. Too bad…. asylums like that probably didn't exist anymore.

"Sir, first I'd suggest that we check with Welch as to her marital status and her husband's whereabouts. Perhaps he would have something to say. Then we check with your father to see if Ms. Steele can get power of attorney. She could then have her mother tucked away in a nursing home. I know that she wants nothing to do with her but that way at least she'd have control over her whereabouts…whereabouts far from Ms. Steele.

As a last resort we, meaning me and my team, could confront her. Tell her Ms. Steele has some very powerful and dangerous friends who could do Carla harm, if need be. Then put her on a bus back to Georgia. I would recommend that at no point we allow Carla to catch sight of you or Ms. Steele. Have her pack what she needs and go to Escala now. When the hag awakens, she'll see only me."

Christian went into Ana's room, found a suitcase and began to stuff it with clothes and toiletries. Then he called in Sawyer to carry her things while Christian picked up Ana, still sleeping and cradled her close to him. Carla must have been waking because Taylor had placed himself directly in her line of vision. She didn't see Ana or Christian leaving.

"Ma'am, I think that you and I need to talk about your intrusion here. The people who live here are friends of mine. I take care of my friends and I punish those who would hurt them. Do you understand me?"

Carla sat up, wide-eyed and unnerved. "Who are you? What do you have to do with my daughter?"

"Let's start with your name and your daughter's."

"I'm Carla Steele," she lied, "and Ana Steele is my daughter. She asked me to come and live with her."

"I've never heard of you or this Ana person. Again, who are you and what are you doing in my friend's home. He doesn't take to intruders. He likes his privacy."

"My daughter let me in. I must have fallen asleep. I'm not well, you see, and my daughter is going to take care of me."

Geez, the balls on this old crone, thought Taylor. He took out his phone and pretended to text.

"Are you calling Ana? Tell her to come straight home now. I'm getting hungry."

"I'm reporting your presence to my friend to see if he knows anyone named Ana. It's evident that someone let you in, someone you thought was this Ana, but you are very confused. I'm asking him if he wants me to call the police and report a B & E or if he wants you reported to county social services and have you taken to the psychiatric ward of Seattle General."

"What?!" Carla grabbed her own phone and called Ana's number.

"Yeah?" grumbled Christian.

"Let me speak to my daughter NOW," raged Carla.

"There are no daughters here and _you_ just woke me up. I have to work the late shift. Don't appreciate this, lady." Christian rang off. Ana was sleeping peacefully in his bed. He sat, looking at her, knowing he shouldn't want her here…knowing he shouldn't want to deal with _her_ problems…except that he did want her here and he did want to protect her.

In a day, Ana had been added to the mix of his life…work, work, working out and Ana.

Carla grinned maniacally and grabbed Ana's hand hard, pulling her into an unwelcome embrace.

"We're together again and will be together until death. I've been waiting for this day ever since Ray took you away from me. Together," she rasped out, as her claws dug into Ana's back.

Christian held her as closely as possible, his hand holding her face, kissing her gently over and over.

"No, no, Ana. Whatever you're dreaming, it isn't real. Open your eyes. Look at me. _I'm_ real."

Suddenly Ana's eyes flew wide open as she screamed for her dad. Christian held her and rocked her and told her that all was well. She was hyperventilating so badly that he feared for her heart. He began singing the song he'd heard her singing to Kate. Slowly, maddeningly slowly, she relaxed in his arms….her heart rate going down…her breathing becoming regular.

"Christian?" she murmured.

"That's right. It's me. Carla isn't here. You're safe and you'll stay safe," he said reassuringly.

"Christian," she sighed and snuggled into his chest.

As he held Ana, he found that he liked someone needing him. Him. He was the only person who could help her now. She wanted him. He liked it.

Moments later, she fell into a serene sleep. As he held her, he texted Taylor.

**what's happening now? Deets, please.**

_**Manager very helpful. Pretended that a guy lives here and wanted to call cops on Carla. Your fake answer when she called you finally convinced her that she had the wrong number and the cop- threat made her pack up her things and leave. Reynolds is tailing. Before she was alert enough to look around I stashed all photos. **_

_**How is Ms. Steele doing?**_

**Very bad dreams. I knew that she was disturbed about her mother being here but I had no idea that she was so terrified. We have to come up with permanent solution. And, Taylor, thanks.**

Thanks? Geez, when had he last shown appreciation for anything Taylor did? Wow. Taylor was hoping that this Ana hung around.

Christian himself was starting to slip under when his phone beeped again. Reynolds.

_**You will not believe where Carla ran off to. **_

**Don't want to play guessing games, Ryan. I'm dead on my feet.**

_**Someone you thought was out of your life…finally….but the bitch won't quit.**_

**Elena. **

_**Sorry, brought in a few more coverts to watch both you and your family and Ms. Lincoln. **_

_**CHAPTER 5**_

As much as he tried to believe his therapist, Flynn, that he was a helpless 14-year-old when Elena caught him up in her claws, he still blamed himself. She had brought so much pain to his life and his family's. His parents had to go into therapy to deal with their guilt over what had happened to their son. His older brother was still holding himself accountable even tho' much of the time he was away at Harvard and even tho' it was Elliot who finally ran her off. Mia got into trouble with the cops when she went into the salon and tried to claw Elena's eyes out.

But it was Mia's idea to break into Elena's safes and steal any possible blackmail materials. Once Christian broke off with Elena and she had no pictures or videos, she went quietly. He'd almost put her in the very back of his memory.

'Til now. She was back. But why Ana? He'd only met her on Sunday and Elena had already ferreted out her creepy mother? Maybe because Ana had been at Grey Manor so much, Elena thought they'd known each other for a long time. She knew that Grace had been matchmaking. She must have seen the results with Elliot and Kate and assumed that with Ana there every Sunday that she was intended for Christian. By bringing in Carla, she hoped to discourage Christian's interest. How ironic. She'd only brought them closer together.

Well, as much as he cared about Ana, he was still not interested in a relationship with anyone. Perhaps he could convince Elena of that and she'd go away again. That evening, he and Taylor paid a visit to Lincoln Manor, as Elena called it. The house, just down the lane from the Greys', was a third the size of Grey Manor and there was nothing grand about it. Elena decorated it the way she decorated herself….loud and brassy. She opened the door and smirked at Christian.

"You're back, eh? I expected you would be. You couldn't suppress the Dom in you forever."

Christian took a moment to gaze in disgust at the woman to whom he once paid homage and even thought that he loved. Even relaxing at home, she was wearing six inch stilettos, a black leather cat suit and a mile-high pile of bottle blonde hair, most of it fake. It looked like one of those clouds of cotton candy you'd get at a fair. She reached up with a hand with red talons to caress his cheek. He shuddered and backed away. She grimaced at his rejection of her touch.

"All right. What do you want, pet?"

"I want to talk to you about your latest plan to mess with my life…Carla. Is she upstairs sleeping it off?"

"We enjoyed a long talk together, a long well-lubricated talk. She wants the daughter you took from her."

"I've been protecting Ana from Carla. Ana wants nothing to do with a bitter old hag who made her life a misery and then disappeared for 12 years. Ana was a good fuck and duck, that's all, until you brought her mother here, forcing me to help her. Now I'm stuck with her as long as her mother is in town. So, you're stuck with Carla."

"Why is a fuck and duck dining with your family every Sunday and often during the week?"

"What? Do you sit in the window with a pair of binoculars, spying on the Greys all day? She is my brother's fiancée's best friend and my mother likes her. Yes, she'd like to set me up but she's still inviting tall blondes for dinner. Most of the time I don't show. I only met Ana this past Sunday. So, you see, you've gone to a lot of trouble for nothing. If Carla is comfortable here, _you_ may be stuck with her," he grinned happily.

At that he turned without another word and walked out the door, confident and swaggering. When he got into the car, hidden by tinted windows, he slumped down and let out a sigh of relief.

"Let's hope that worked, Taylor. I need a shower."

As they drove away, Elena glared with indignation after the man she considered her creation. She'd known that he'd be coming today and she'd dressed for the occasion but he didn't seem awed by her as he used to be. She kicked off the shoes that were killing her feet, pulled the huge wig off her head and unzipped the suit that was restricting her breathing. She looked in the mirror at the real Elena. She was 50 and not a well-preserved 50 despite her best efforts. Surgery had made her face unnaturally tight. She was going bald after a lifetime of bleaching her hair and she had to wear high collars to hide her wrinkled neck. She looked slender while dressed but under the clothes and the spandex was a lumpy, wrinkled old body. She didn't understand where she'd gone wrong. Perhaps she shouldn't have chain smoked unfiltered camels and spent her evenings with Jim Beam and pints of ice cream. She resolved to start eating vegetables. She also resolved to get that bitch Carla on the first plane back to Georgia.

_**Carla just boarded flight to Georgia. **_

**Great! Let's get someone local to keep an eye on her.**

_**Already on it, Sir. Also, looking into her finances. I know you'd hate it but if she is broke, she may have to be persuaded to stay away. **_

**Okay, whatever it takes. Let me know.**

_**Yes, Sir.**_

Ana had slept a long time. It was clear that she was emotionally exhausted and still weakened from her ordeal. Christian resolved to support Carla for the rest of her life if she'd just stay away from her fragile daughter. When he held her, especially when he carried her, Christian was surprised. She was so light it was like carrying a child. He worried.

CHAPTER 6

That Sunday at brunch, he watched her eat or rather he watched her push her food around. She took small portions and nibbled. They had become so close so quickly that he didn't hesitate to call her out on her eating habits.

Leaning over while Mia loudly told a story, he whispered to Ana.

"Why aren't you eating? Are you feeling okay? Still unnerved by Carla's visit?"

"I'm eating. I don't have a big appetite. Never have."

"You eat like a bird, Ana."

"Well, birds eat twice their weight every day. Did you want a fat fuck and duck?" Ana giggled.

"Don't talk about yourself that way." Christian frowned even though the giggle made his heart jump.

"Okay, did you want a fat fuck who won't go away?" laughed Ana.

"I'm confused, Ana. This is all new to me. We seem to have a relationship, of sorts, and I don't know what to call it or do with it."

"If I eat more, will that help?" she smiled and he could have sworn that the room brightened.

"Eat the broccoli."

"Yes, Sir," Ana laughed, reaching for the bowl. She took just a couple of florets and Christian sighed.

Grace had not invited a tall blonde to dinner. Nor had she the week before. In fact, Elliot informed him, since Ana had first come with Kate, there had been no more tall blondes or any other kind of woman. Just Ana.

Everyone liked her so much that a strange woman would have seemed out of place. And, yes, of course, Grace wanted Christian and Ana to marry. Then she could start to work on Mia.

Ana reached across the table to remove the glass of wine that Kate had just poured for herself. Kate frowned but said nothing.

"Wine is one of the triggers that bring on her migraines. She knows this but she isn't very disciplined about taking care of herself," Ana whispered to Elliot.

"Tell me about it. The other day she brought home a pizza and threw a fit when I threw it away. And the morning coffee is a constant battle. Why doesn't she just bash her head into a wall?"

"I think it's pretty nice the way you mother Kate, especially considering that _you've_ had no experience yourself with being mothered," Christian continued whispering to Ana.

"When we lived together, Kate would mother me," Ana answered. "Worrying over my wardrobe, my eating, sneaking into my room at night to put plugs in my ear when she brought a guy home. That last one didn't help much," Ana giggled, "but I never told her that."

"What about when you brought guys home?" asked Christian.

"Hmm…I didn't." Ana became quiet then and Christian knew to stop talking. He put another floret on her plate.

With her mother gone, Ana moved back into her own apartment. Kate was still paying half the rent but Ana knew that a proposal was on it's way and then Kate's 'visits' to Elliot's place would be permanent. Kate would still want to pay half but Ana had too much pride to let her do that. Even with two promotions, Ana couldn't afford a really nice place and her hunt for something safe and secure at a good price had thus far been futile.

So, she'd started looking for something in her price range…all places that made Christian cringe.

They now had a friends-with-benefits relationship since Christian refused to put Ana in a fuck and duck position. Even though they'd agreed that either one could have other bedmates, it just never seemed to happen. And even though they did not consider themselves to be girlfriend/boyfriend, they spent as much time as possible together. Christian found that he enjoyed talking and laughing…both rather new to him. Besides Elliot, he'd never had a friend.

He worried that Elena would try something but he had coverts all over her and Elliot had broken into her house one day while she was out and installed surveillance equipment. Her car even had a tracker. Speaking of cars, Christian was putting pressure on Ana to either accept one of his on loan or accept a ride with one of his drivers. She resisted. He wondered how she would react if one day that rusted out old Beetle just up and disappeared. Then he had an idea.

"Yeah?" A stern, stolid voice.

"Mr. Steele, Sir?"

"Yeah, who are you and what do you want?" Ray growled back at Christian's inquiry.

"Sir, I am a good friend of your daughter's. My name is Christian Grey."

"The billionaire playboy? Yikes. What are you doing with my little Annie?"

"Well, trying to feed her, Sir, for starters but I'm calling about her car, the rust bucket. That thing has great sentimental value, I know and I told her that I could store it but she refuses to accept a new car from me, even as a loan. I'm hoping that you could persuade her since you gave her the car. Sir?" said Christian hopefully.

"She's had that old thing for 8 years. I tried to give her a new car a while back and got just as far as you did."

"Okay, then I'm going to lock it away," swore Christian.

"Better idea. Tell her you're going to have it fully restored and it will take a while. Then get her a tank."

Christian laughed. "You're right. That is a good idea. I want her to have a driver, really, but I could also have her followed."

Ray huffed. "Why does my Annie need someone following her?"

"Because she's dating me. I'm sorry, sir. All of my family and my brother's fiancée have coverts. But I care for your daughter, sir, so the complications that come along with being me extend to those around me."

"I'm sure that Annie doesn't want your money, you know."

"I'm still learning how to be with someone who doesn't want me for my money," Christian sighed. "In Ana's case, I wish she'd want a little of it, you know, for a car, a safe apartment, to pay off her school loans…."

"A safe apartment?" worried Ray.

"Her roommate will be marrying my brother soon and Ana can't afford much on her current salary. I want her to take a place in my building but it's too expensive and she won't hear of me paying for it. God, is she a stubborn woman!"

Ray laughed heartily. "That's my Annie," he said with pride. "Maybe I'll call her and put my foot down. Sometimes that works. Good luck to you, fella. You've got a tiger by the tail," he was still laughing when he rang off.

Well, putting his foot down did not work this time. Ana found a studio apartment with a Murphy bed in a rundown area north of town. She'd have to drive at least part of the way on the freeway. Christian was tearing his hair out so he did the only thing he could do.

CHAPTER 7

He proposed.

She refused.

He proposed again and she refused again. "We're not in love, Christian. What if you find someone you do love?"

"Never gonna happen. I don't do love. Look, this would be an…an arrangement. A marriage would thrill my parents and get my mother off my back. I wouldn't have to go to any more functions to meet tall blondes. Well-educated. Refined."

"I'm well-educated. Are you saying that I'm not refined?"

"Yes."

"Fuck you, arsehole."

"My point is made. Anyway, it could be a win-win for both of us."

"Yeah?" demanded Ana. "What do _I_ get out of it?

"Hmm…Ray would be thrilled and no long have to worry about you. He's getting old, you know and he should be able to start relaxing. Also, you'd make my mother so happy and you love my mother, right?

You'd live here so, bingo, no apartment problems. Access to a dozen different cars…and drivers, for that matter."

"Can I drive the R8?" Ana asked hopefully.

"I'll leave it to you in my will."

"I'm still not convinced, Christian. You, with one woman?"

"Right now, neither of us want anyone else but we could put it in the agreement that if it is a possibility, it's okay with the other. Look, you understand that I don't want to be married or have children. You want to concentrate on your career and you've told me that you'll be a great aunt and that's all you aspire to, right?"

"That's true. Nieces and nephews you can hand right back when they stop being cute and start needing a diaper change. Children are a tremendous amount of work and I've never had a yearning. Kate's dreamed of motherhood since she was a little girl. Lots of women grow up wanting to be mothers. I always wanted a horse. Hmm…can I have a horse?"

"Not in the apartment. 10,000 square feet is too small. And however would it manage the stairs?"  
"You're freakin' hilarious," Ana giggled. Every time she did that his heart did a little flip.

"Still another advantage to being my arranged wife….my brilliant sense of humor."

"You haven't mentioned the money. Maybe I'll want to spend like a drunken sailor," Ana threatened.

"I currently make over $100,000 an hour. Spend away, matey," smirked Christian.

"It would be great to see my daddy happy. He hasn't had much of that in his life. And he'll never date while I'm single," sighed Ana.

"Why not?"

"Oh, in case I don't like her or she doesn't like me or she's jealous of our attachment or maybe I'll need to live with him after you've finally driven me crazy. A lot of reasons."

**SUNDAY BRUNCH**

**CHAPTER 8**

"This is going to go over like a lead balloon."

"They..and by 'they', I mean Grace..will adjust."

"Okay, how do you want to announce this?" asked Ana.

"Oh, I don't think we'll have to say much. Just the salient details. And, Ana, I want to see food going down your gullet, my little bird. You had a pancake, singular, for breakfast."

"I'm too nervous to eat, Christian. Christ, you have _ice_ in your veins."

"You didn't think so last night…or this morning," he smirked.

She growled at him as the door flew open. Christian had been coming to every Sunday dinner for some time now. This was the first time he'd brought Ana with him, however. Grace and Carrick were accustomed to hearing Ana's ancient Beetle backfiring its way up the drive.

"Hello, kids! Ana, dear, did your car break down?" inquired Grace.

"No, it was stolen and is currently being held for ransom by a megalomaniac," snarled Ana.

God, even her snarl was cute…like a little kid trying to look mean. Christian melted a little.

Grace smiled at Christian. She wasn't going to say it in front of Ana but that car was terrifying.

Carrick appeared, kissed Ana on the cheek and shook his son's hand, noting that the left one was holding Ana's right hand. Hmm….Grace has done it again, he thought.

"Where are the others?" asked Christian.

"Elliot is downstairs ping-ponging with Mia to prep for his latest defeat by Ana," said Grace just as her eyes popped open like a cartoon character's and she screamed, "OH, MY GOD, WHAT IS THAT?" while pointing at her son's ring finger. Then Carrick picked up Ana's ring finger which held a diamond and a gold band. Ana was blushing furiously.

"You were supposed to hide your hand until we explained. You did this deliberately, you sneak." Ana scowled at her new husband.

"Love you, too, sweetie," teased Christian.

After Grace's scream, Elliot, Mia and Kate ran up the stairs to check out the OMG and they began screaming, too. Questions flew around like a flock of crazed pigeons. Kate looked pale so Ana insisted that everyone be seated, cease talking and begin taking slow, deep breaths, hold, and slowly exhale while Christian put his head down and tried to avoid laughing. Finally, Kate raised her hand and asked if she could speak now.

"That depends," cautioned Ana, "on how you feel."

"Fine?"

"Okay, your color is back. Now I guess you would like us to explain our change in relationship status. I'll begin. My new husband is an arsehole who wants to run my life because, he feels, I do not do so to his satisfaction."

Christian shook his head. "She wanted to live in a dangerous place, drive a dangerous car….."

"_Anyway_," Ana interrupted, "there were other considerations that I won't go into just now but it was a mutual decision that we legalize our relationship in order to force me into a higher standard of living and a chauffeured tank. Feeling not at all 'wedding happy', sorry Mia, we just hit up the local court house yesterday and got married. Questions?"

Everyone just stared at them…stunned into silence.

"Yeah, so we know that this is unexpected," Christian began and that opened the floodgates again. Grace was particularly incensed. Years she'd been trying to find a nice girl for Christian and now she hadn't been invited to the wedding. Tears, slaps on the back, hugs and basic bafflement. No one had ever noticed Christian's interest in Ana. They were usually barely speaking.

While all the women were closely examining the rings on Ana's hand, Carrick and Elliot herded Christian into the study. "We need to talk, son," said Carrick. Christian knew what was coming. He'd seen Elliot go through it first.

"Now, did you make any arrangements with another lawyer concerning your prenup?"

"Well, Dad, you know that Ana doesn't have any money and I have a lot of it so demanding half her net worth in case of the dissolution of our marriage seemed pointlessly cruel," Christian said as deadpan as he could manage while Elliot snickered.

"Poor Dad, didn't get far with me either. I think having watched our own parents carry on a quite successful union for 30 years has made us smug. Kate actually _wanted_ me to sign a prenup, swearing to me that if she is to divorce me, it would undoubtedly be my fault and, therefore, she would ruin me. I think the phrase was "make you cry like a sissy boy".

Carrick sighed. "Elliot, did you know that your brother was in love with Ana? I mean, were you any more in the loop than Grace and me? And what about Kate? Did she know?"

"Honestly, Dad, they really kept this thing on the downlow."

"Christian, why all the mystery…. and you may as well practice your answer on me before your mother gets to you," warned Carrick.

"Well, Dad, I like her. I don't like many people outside of my family. She makes me happy and I want to take care of her. I'm completely relaxed with Ana and I know she'll always have my back even if it means kicking my butt. It's a great match and that will make Mom happy. Seemed like a win-win," smiled Christian.

Carrick and Elliot looked at each other.

"When I asked Elliot, he said that he's madly in love with Kate."

"I'm a practical man, Dad. I know that I'll be happy with Ana. I_ am_ happy with Ana."

"But, son, are you in love?"

"Dad, I don't do love…but, I don't know, I might be as close as I'll ever get. Again, don't worry, Dad. I've never cared for a woman as much as I do Ana so you can call it love if you want. She needs me. Apart from my family, I've never felt needed by anyone. I watched you with Kate, El, when she had that migraine and other times and I kind of marveled at the way you took care of her.

Somehow, Ana brings that out in me. I don't get it but I know she needs me and I like that. Her mother is a drunk and all of Ana's formative years were spent taking care of her, protecting Ray from her mother's tantrums and then again protecting her mother from all the men she picked up and the several she married. She even takes care of me."

"We've noticed that Ana never asks for anything and all of us have felt her care, except for her callous disregard for my feelings while playing ping-pong," allowed Elliot. "I guess we never saw it as clearly as you have. I think you're in love, bro, even if you don't see it. Well, I have to go practice with Mia before my usual humiliation by Ana. And, hey, I can see that you're happy, Christian, and getting a girl like Ana to marry you has probably been your finest moment. I'm proud of you, bro," Elliot hugged his little brother and left the room.

Carrick and Christian shared a long look and then Carrick sighed.

"What's with the sigh, dad? Do you disapprove that much?" groaned Christian.

"Oh, on the contrary, you're a brilliant man, Christian. The way you've built your business, your genius at finding great employees, your generosity and charities….."

"But….."sighed Christian.

"But you've just blown me away with the genius of your latest acquisition. In the time I've come to know Ana, I've been so impressed with her in every way. You both played your cards pretty close to the vest. I honestly had no idea that you two ever saw each other outside of this house. How did you get her to marry _you?"_

"Blackmail, logical reasoning, similar thoughts for the future, hid her car and refused to let her live in a hovel, bullying….oh, and I have to leave her my R8 in my will. I don't know how to break that to Elliot."

"Okay….be that way but you'd better come up with a better line for your mother," Carrick grinned at the thought of the grilling he'd soon get from Grace.

"Meanwhile, dad, let's plan a time when I can get a will together. I'm a family man now."

"The first thing out of your mother's mouth will be when can she expect grandchildren, you know."  
"No, dad. No children. Neither of us want them. Sorry. Elliot and Mia will have to supply the Grey descendants."

"I see. Well, that won't go over well. Expect constant hinting."

"I'm not stupid enough to tell Mom 'never'. We'll tell her that we want to be just us for a few years."

.+.

When Christian emerged from the study, he experienced yet another new feeling. Anxiousness. Where was Ana?

He could hear Elliot yelling at Mia and his mother was in the kitchen. Where was Ana? Was she alone?

"Christian, Ana is outside taking a walk with Kate. Come in the kitchen and talk to me," called Grace.

Oh, boy, thought Christian. Here we go. And with a deep breath, he went in to face his greatest foe.

"Hi, Mom. How are you doing?"

"How am I doing? My youngest son is the first in the family to marry and he did so in a two-minute courthouse 'procedure' without any of his loved ones in attendance…most especially his devoted mother. _That's_ how I'm doing." Grace turned to get something from the fridge while Christian cringed.

"Can I help with anything since Gretchen isn't here? Where is she, by the way?"

"She was in the kitchen watching as you and Ana walked in hand in hand. She saw the rings and hugged me. Then said she was sorry but she could no longer continue. I understood. She's been in love with you for so many years."

"Geez, Mom, I'm so sorry. I knew she always had a little crush on me but never took it seriously. What should I have done?"

"Nothing, Christian," shrugged Grace. "Gretchen should have given up long ago. She wasted so much time hoping that you would notice her. I hope that she can stop now and start to live. She'd like to go to school to become an LPN. I'm sure that arrangements and expenses will be taken care of now to help her, " Grace looked pointedly at Christian.

"Yes, mom, I think you're right. It will be taken care of soon, I'm sure."

"Mom, is there anything Ana and I can do to make it up to you…you know, our very private wedding. Maybe you could arrange a party. Don't people have receptions or something?" Christian was desperate to appease his mother, his savior.

"Would that be okay with you, son? Our house and lawn full of people, all coming to see you and your bride? You know, I'd never make you do something that would make you uncomfortable."

"That sounds lovely, Grace. I would like to meet your colleagues and friends. I want to learn as much as possible about my new family," smiled Ana as she came up behind Christian. He wrapped an arm around his new wife and smiled with pride.

Grace nearly cried at the sight of her grumpy son gazing with such love and pride at his wife. He would never have agreed to a large crowd staring at him and as much as she knew about Ana, she didn't think she would either. They just wanted Grace to be happy, she knew.

"Okay, then, we'll have a little reception. I can't wait for everyone to meet Ana. I can't, in fact, wait to go in for my shift tomorrow and tell everyone that I now have a daughter-in-law!" Grace laughed and hugged them both.

CHAPTER 9

Christian tightened his arms around Ana, holding her as closely as possible. With all of his fuck and duck women, once he was satisfied, he couldn't wait to pull out and distance himself. With Ana he needed to stay connected. He couldn't bear to let go of her in any way. Her hair, her skin, her scent, her soft shoulders. She didn't try to retreat either. She burrowed closer. They'd rolled onto their sides and wrapped their arms and legs around each other. They needed to be as one body.

Christian reached into Ana's hair and kissed her head. She lifted her head and looked into his grey eyes. She liked when his eyes turned to dark gray, dark lusty gray. He would come for her and take what he wanted. And he wanted her badly. Being wanted was new to Ana. She never realized that kind of desire before Christian. She didn't know that she was beautiful and wondered why Christian saw something he so desperately needed that no one else had wanted.

"Christian, may I ask you a question?"

"Sure, chocolate with crème cheese frosting."

"Why do you want me? No one else ever has."

"Oh, baby, I see men looking at you all the time. You just never notice any of them. Thank god."

"When have all these men looked at me? You're just trying to make me feel good."

"When they look at you, I look at them with the devil in my eyes. They recognize a dangerous, jealous man when they see one and they look away."

Ana was silent. His need for her was still as intense as that first time when she was baffled by his desire for her. Yet he still referred to their marriage as a convenient arrangement. He left his office at 5, not 8 and in the morning, he grumbled about getting out of bed and letting go of Ana. She had slept alone all her life. No one, in fact, had ever held her much. Occasionally Ray would hug her for a bit but someone needing to put their arms around her all the time was strange, new and yet she found it necessary for her as well.

Grey saw to her needs. He was always aware of her safety. Sometimes, she felt it was too much but only because no one but Ray had ever cared about her. And Grey was always there when she had the dreams. Ray wasn't. Maybe he didn't hear her cries, her struggles with the demons in her head. But Grey always did. When her mother or one of the husbands came for her and she tried to get away, Grey was suddenly there, holding her, not letting them get to her.

She'd always taken care of herself and now worried that she'd forget how if she allowed Christian to look after her.

She told him that she felt that she was losing her independence, her ability to be her only protector. He smiled at her and said that she was and so was he. He'd talked it over with his therapist, Flynn, and Flynn had told him that when you let someone into your life, you give up some of the power you've always had.

"I can't do without you anymore, Ana, and I guess, I hope, that you can't do without me."

"Our arrangement wasn't supposed to include codependency, Christian. I was supposed to live in a decent place, drive a safe car and please your mother. But it's all become so…so intimate and full of need. When you flew to Japan last week and I was alone for 2 days, I _needed_ you to come home. I was anxious. I couldn't sleep. That's never happened to me."

"I tried to get out of that meeting, Ana, but I've stuck Ros with the last three international meet-ups and her wife was getting ready to kill one of us. The whole time I was gone I texted or called you, even during meetings, until Ros confiscated my phone during the day. That meeting was supposed to last four days but I pushed and hustled to get it done in two. Ros loved it. Said that I was like the old me… a man on fire. But I was just a man on fire to get home to his wife. I couldn't sleep either. I was worried the whole time about you…that you would need me and I couldn't get to you."

"I'm so confused, Christian. What are we? Why are we together? Where are we going together?"

"We'll figure it out, Ana. Neither of us has ever been in a relationship and so naturally we're floundering. I know that I want to be your husband and I know that you want to be my wife so we'll just go from there."

"You want to be my husband? I thought that we were supposed to have just an arrangement for a short while, get your mother off your back and in a year or so, call it and go back to our separate lives. You were supposed to have all the fucks and ducks you wanted…. but we sleep together every night. All my clothes are in your closet instead of upstairs in my room. I don't understand how I became your wife."

"Ana, look at me, do you want me and I don't just mean in bed?" He leaned on his elbow and looked deeply into her blazing baby blues. _God_, he thought, _if she doesn't say yes…oh, please say yes._

"Yes, also on the dining room table and in the shower and on the pool table…"

Christian sighed and chuckled. "I'm serious, Ana…always and forever serious…about you."

"How can you be sure?" Ana asked nervously.

"I look at you and I feel lit up inside. I feel happy, even joyous and necessary..for the first time in my life. I'm in love with you, Ana. I'm done, finished, all in. If you don't feel the same, tell me now." Christian begged silently, _don't tell me now. Ana, don't leave me._

"I'm terrified, Christian. I've never trusted anyone but my dad. If you hurt me, I'll never recover, never. You'll change your mind in a few years and I'll turn to dust."

Christian put his arm around Ana and his hand on the back of her head and leaned down to put his forehead to hers. "Ditto, baby."

"Ok," Ana drew a deep, ragged breath, "you got yourself a wife."

"Anything else you want to say," Christian hinted heavily.

"And I do love you, too…all in," giggled Ana.

"I think we've got a marriage, sweetheart," he said, as he slipped inside her again and she clenched her muscles to hold him as he groaned and she panted.

CHAPTER 10

As Ana watched Mia planning Elliot's wedding with Kate, she thanked her lucky stars that she and Christian were already married. Kate was facing an extravaganza unlike anything seen in Seattle, even surpassing Grace's annual Coping Together Gala. Even Grace was appalled at the spectacle and the accompanying expense, reminding Mia that the Gala spent money to raise even more money whereas the wedding as Mia wished it to be could cost both Elliot and the Greys their life savings. Mia pouted as she was forced to eliminate various aspects, such as the coach and four that she'd planned on Elliot and Kate riding in, the full orchestra she intended to have at both the wedding and reception, the dozens of white doves to be released at several different points and so on.

As she told Kate of her plans, expecting cries of joy, she didn't realize that the cries were pleas for help from Grace and her own mother. Grace had a harder time than Dawn Kavanaugh with saying no. Dawn gasped as Mia beamed with the thrill of the idea of an open coach pulled by horses.

"Tell me, little missy, do you have a trust fund to pay for this golden chariot and four white stallions?"

Of course, as her massive party began to shrink to a more manageable size, Mia cried and ran to her room, promptly calling her big billionaire brother who gently told her that it wasn't really a matter of money but more a matter of the wedding being centered on the bride and groom. They should be the stars, didn't she think? When all was said and done and pictures were taken, the happy couple should stand out…not the décor nor the lavish and exotic foods. People should be looking at Elliot and Kate and talking about them and their happiness…not the 50-piece orchestra.

Mia slowed the sniffling and then asked for Ana.

"She always knows what's best," Mia asserted. Christian, who had just talked her out of spending millions, grumped and handed the phone to "she who knows best…uh."

Ana kissed his disgruntled face and picked up the phone.

"Well, Mia, I just heard Christian's sage advice. I don't know what to add."

"I want this to be the wedding of the year. I could have done wonderful things with your ceremony if my brother hadn't spirited you off to an ancient old courthouse. All his money and he made you pledge your vows in a dusty clerk's office."

"It wasn't dusty. The clerks do dust."

"Ana! Stay with me here," exclaimed Mia. Christian, listening to the conversation on speaker, chuckled as Ana defended the clerks' cleaning skills.

"Mia, you know your brother and Kate. You know the kind of people they are and their taste. Do you honestly think that they want what you have in mind? Were you thinking of their wishes when you made your plans?" asked Ana as Christian enveloped his arms around her waist from behind and nibbled on her plump little earlobes.

"Well…." conceded Mia. "I guess I did do some assuming. What do _you_ think they want? Ana? Ana?"

Ana and Christian were now playing championship tonsil hockey. Ana broke off, gasping for breath.

"Sorry, Mia, hmmm….ask them and listen, really listen. I suspect it's something simple and elegant. Ask Grace to help you. She is the epitome of elegance." Ana finished just as Christian pulled off her panties and began nuzzling her nethers. Gasping for breath, she dropped the phone and grabbed his hair, pulling him closer.

"Ana, Ana? Are you still there? Ana? I can hear you breathing….or something." Finally, Mia gave up, hung up and went off to find her mother.

Elliot and Kate let Mia pop out with all her crazy, over-the-top ideas and then gently dismissed each, substituting a simpler idea of their own. Finally, after many negotiations, it was decided that Elliot and Kate would have a simple backyard wedding with Mia flourishes. Twinkling lights everywhere, a completely unnecessary ice sculpture of The Kiss by Rodin, thousands of white flowers….everything, in fact, was in white. Mia decreed in the invitations that everyone wear white. This confused many who thought only the bride in white was the rule.

Ana put her foot down and said that she was wearing pink. Mia loved pink so she caved on that one.

Mia also wanted fireworks but with all the other excitement, Ana was concerned that Kate would get a migraine.

Flashing lights and loud sounds could set off a war in Kate's head.

It was a beautiful service. Mia was right about the color theme; it gave off an ethereal light all around the wedding party and guests. Matron of Honor Ana stood out as a fairy in light airy pink. Christian, the best man in white along side his brother, also in white, spent the entire ceremony staring at Ana, having to be nudged to hand over the ring. Ana giggled, Christian's heart flipped and as soon as the happy newlyweds began their walk back down the aisle, he was at her side, nuzzling her neck. Her scent drove him nuts.

There were a lot of questions from the guests about the previous wedding and its secrecy. Thankfully, Elliot and Kate were too besotted with each other to notice that they weren't holding center stage at their own nuptials.

There were so many inquiries that finally Christian took Ana up to see his old bedroom.

**TWO YEARS LATER**

**CHAPTER 11**

Christian was racing through his workload so that he could get out by 6. He didn't like working late but especially not tonight. He was taking Ana to Canlis for a celebratory dinner. She'd been promoted to a senior editor position. He was bursting with pride…telling everyone how hard she'd worked to prove herself. He'd wanted to buy SIP, rename it Grey Publishing and give it to Ana but she was determined to earn her way to the top. And she certainly did. She proved to have a genius for spotting new talent and new ways to promote her writers. Best selling authors left their old publishers to write for Ana. SIP had grown so much and was worth so much more since Ana began with them that she'd left the heads of self-satisfied old timers spinning. They didn't want to give her credit but when their authors threatened to leave unless Ana worked with them, they had no choice.

As Christian raced home to shower and change, Ana knelt before her toilet in her private loo at the office. She'd been vomiting for an hour and was hopeful that the nausea was passing now. She'd been sick for days but managed to keep it from Christian. She threw up in the middle of the night while he slept soundly. She vomited in the morning after he'd left for work and she vomited all day at her office. She prayed that she could get through tonight's dinner. Christian had a two-week Asian tour, leaving Sunday night. She would get through the next two days with the flu excuse. While he was gone, she'd have time to think. How could she tell him?

Finally, she got to her feet, splashed water on her face and brushed her teeth. She felt better. She could get through tonight…somehow. She really wanted to make love to her husband after dinner and all weekend. He'd wanted her to come along to the Orient with him but she'd persuaded him that her workload was too great to take a two-week vacation. Monday, she'd see Dr. Greene and get the professional test done.

Even tho' she and Christian had agreed to have a childless union, she believed that he'd accept this child just as she'd had to. It was reality. They did everything together. They'd do terrified-to-be-parents together as well.

Besides, if permanent childlessness had been Christian's true intention, he'd have gotten a vasectomy long before now. Yes, she knew. They loved each other. It would be okay.

As Ana was getting ready for their big night out, Christian sat at his desk in his study, perusing yet another spreadsheet. He heard the clomp of his brother's work boots coming his way. Why was _he_ here at this hour?

He usually buried himself in Kate as soon as he got off work.

"Bro!" he burst into Grey's office with a huge grin on his face. "You are looking at a man who will be making you an uncle in seven months."

"No kidding?" beamed Christian. "Wow, I'm surprised. Happy for you but surprised. I thought that you and Kate planned to wait until she was older. She's only 24."

"Well, sometimes nature has her own ideas. You know that 1% for whom the pill fails? That's my girl. In that special 1%. My little swimmers snuck right past her little pills and bingo. It's okay, tho, we're both really happy.

Kate was scared to death to tell me, thought I'd accuse her of forgetting to take a pill."

"You certain that she didn't? You know that a pregnancy really seals the deal for life. No matter what…you'll never be shed of her."

"Geez, man. I don't want to be shed of her. Ever. You know, you could be facing fatherhood one day, too."

"Hell, no, Elliot. Ana and I made an agreement from the beginning to be childless. And she can't forget a pill because she's on the Depo injection. We're looking forward to being aunt and uncle to your kids and Mia's and then going home to our quiet lives where we can fuck all we want without the pitter-patter of little feet making a beeline for our bedroom door. Not to mention what pregnancy does to a woman's body. I mean, they're never the same. Also, living through 9 months of vomiting and crazy hormones and then, to top it off, six weeks without sex while you change poopy diapers and listen to a kid screaming all night! Man, you're giving up all your freedom!" Christian exclaimed.

"So, if Ana got pregnant, what would you do?" challenged Elliot.

"First thing, I'd need proof that it was mine. Secondly, I'd go thermonuclear if she missed a shot and got us into such a predicament. Third, we'd get an abortion."

"Ooh, that's cold, bro." chided Elliot

"No, it isn't. Neither of us want kids."

"And what if after all the hormones hit and Ana decides that she does want the child, what then, Mr. I-got-all-the-answers? What if she refuses to abort her kid?"

"First of all, this is all conjecture since we're covered and in total agreement on what we want. I've never told anyone else this so keep it to yourself. Our marriage, originally, was an arrangement to make Mom happy and because I needed to protect Ana. Children were never an option and that agreement has never changed."

"You didn't answer my question, bro? What if Ana got knocked up and wanted to alter your 'arrangement'?"

"Not possible. I'm not going to be a father. If Ana insisted on listening to her hormones instead of me, we'd have to end our arrangement. But I'm pretty sure that I could talk her into a termination," Grey bragged.

Ana sat frozen on the stairs near Christian's office. When Elliot made ready to leave, she had to force herself to move….back into the bedroom to wash her mascara-stained cheeks and put on a new face, one that no one could read….one that didn't show her inner agony. Christian was the only person she'd ever allowed to see her real face and that would end now.

"Hey, Ana, can you come out here for a minute?" Elliot boomed.

"Sure, I'm all ready to go. What are you doing here, El?" she smiled sweetly at her beloved brother-in-law.

"I'm sure that Kate wants to talk to you about something so give her a call asap, ok?"

"Sure, can it wait until after dinner? Tell her I'll call just as soon as I get back."

"Good. Christian, can you call Mia? I'm tired of listening to her complain that Ana has stolen you away. You used to be the devoted big brother. Now you're just the devoted husband. I think that she's jealous and misses your attention."

"Yes, I'll take her to lunch soon," smiled Christian.

Elliot leaned down and kissed Ana's cheek, high-fived his brother and headed for the elevator.

"So, my beautiful bride, are you ready to celebrate your promotion?"

"Yes, it is hard to believe, isn't it? We just celebrated our anniversary and 2 months later, I'm a senior editor. Let's go eat ourselves silly and then come home and fuck ourselves senseless."

"You know, I love you for your mind," Christian smirked and kissed Ana softly. Then arm in arm they went off to Canlis.

CHAPTER 12

The restaurant was an exquisite place and Christian had reserved an intimate table in the back. It was private enough for the talk Ana needed to have with Grey but public enough to keep him calm. As he seated her at the table, he leaned down and kissed the top of her head. Her stomach was cooperating just now but she knew food would likely trigger overwhelming nausea so she decided to order a light wine and just give the impression that she was sipping it. While they waited for their order to arrive, she could talk to Christian and the food would be forgotten about. Still, when he ordered mussels and oysters, Ana had to exercise tremendous control to avoid letting the nausea take over.

As the waiter walked away, Christian reached across the table to take his wife's hand. She'd gone her whole life without much affection and she knew that she was going to miss it. She was going to miss curling up in his arms, in his lap. She would miss walking down the street with her arm linked through his. But she had to do what she knew he needed now even though he might fight it at first. The conversation that she'd overheard an hour before made it clear how things had to be.

"There is something about my promotion that I didn't tell you, Christian. It comes with a change in location."

"Location?"

"Yes, SIP has done so well and so much credit for that has been given to me. Thus, since the business decided to open a branch on the east coast, I've been offered the Editor-in-chief position at the new office. It means an initial doubling in salary and a tripling if I pull it off successfully. I've never lived anywhere but the Pacific Northwest so getting to experience life in New York City will be so exciting. I've already been in touch with a realtor, hoping to spend only a few nights in a hotel before moving into my own place," Ana beamed.

"Hmmm…we have an apartment in Manhattan, Ana." Christian looked totally confused.

"That's sweet of you to offer, honey, but eventually I'd have to find my own accommodations. You might want to use the place and it would be tough explaining to a fuck and duck that your ex-wife was living there, don't you think?" she laughed.

"My ex-wife! What the hell are you talking about, Ana?" He was angry now…and scared.

"Well, I didn't think that you would want to continue our arrangement when we're no longer living together, Christian. Besides, I have to confess something to you. My biological clock started ticking recently. I was really upset at first, tried to deny it but every time I see a baby, the yearning for one of my own gets stronger. Honestly, I just turn to goo inside," she grinned.

"You want to have children?" asked a confounded Christian.

Ana watched his face. Maybe, she hoped, he'd offer to change the arrangement?

"We had an agreement, Ana. No kids." He spoke sternly with an undercurrent of rage.

"Well, yes, we did and we also agreed that if we changed our minds about any part of the arrangement that we would part ways amicably. I never expected to feel maternal urgings but I do and the feeling grows stronger every day. I could try to change your mind or threaten to leave if you didn't go along with my desires but I could never do that to you. Or, for that matter, to a child who was wanted by only one parent. So, when this opportunity arose, I realized that it was time for our arrangement to end. After all, initially we were only going to remain married for a year."

Christian stared at Ana. Just stared. Stunned.

"You can tell your family whatever you want. To keep your mother off your back, you should probably put the blame on me and feign great heartache so that she doesn't try to set you up for at least another year. I will miss all of them though. It was really nice to have a family." The tears brimming in her eyes were real, he saw.

"I thought that you loved me, Ana."

"Oh, Christian, I do! Leaving you is going to be the hardest thing I've ever done. I'm grateful that I'll be so overwhelmed with work. Otherwise, trying to have a baby alone and having too much free time to think, I'd lose my mind. I am so appreciative of all you've done for and given to me. Being on my own again is going to be hard initially. I've never been in love and now I can't imagine being with anyone else.

However, I think that I always expected that one day our arrangement would come to an end. I'd get older, fatter, too familiar…I don't know. You would want something different or the life you loved before me to return. I told you that I'd turn to dust and I would but I have to be strong and give my child a happy life."

"What about the father? Who's it to be? Christian glared.

"No one I'd know. Just a sperm donor. Christian, I know that I just sprung all this on you but your face isn't telling me what you're thinking," Ana wondered.

"Thinking, Ana? Thinking? I'm too stunned to think. I've always thought of you as my wife, the woman I love. I didn't think of us as an arrangement. Almost from the beginning I've loved you. Do you remember the night that I told you that I was "all in", married for life, you and only you? You agreed that night that you, too, were all in. I don't know what changed. How you can leave me and let _me_ turn to dust?" he whispered his fury at her…the hand that had held hers now holding so tightly to his wine glass that Ana feared he'd crush it.

She reached over and gently took hold of the glass, placing it aside and taking his hand in hers.

"I have been so happy with you, Christian, and I know that you will love again. You have so much to give and I know that you will again one day. Who knows? A lot of men find that _their_ biological clocks start ticking as they near their 50's and then you can find a young wife who can give you a family and you'll be so happy. And if that day doesn't come, you'll understand that it was best that you remained alone. You're a tremendously strong personality, Christian. If you tried, you could make me do anything that you wanted….stay with you, do without children…and while I'd never stop loving you, I know that I'd feel resentful and imprisoned. You don't want me to feel that way, do you, at the cost of getting your own way?"

_Please,_ thought Ana, _beg me to stay. Tell me that you'll try to want this baby._

"You're right, Ana, I don't want children and that isn't going to change. If you tried to force one on me, I'd resent you and it. I guess I just never thought you'd change your mind. I should have known that a girl of 22 couldn't know how she'd feel as she grew older. And I never dreamed that you'd become so much more than someone with whom I could placate my mother. Still, I don't know at this moment what I'll do without you."

The sadness on his face was a knife in Ana's heart. She wondered if it would have been kinder to tell him the truth….let him argue with her about keeping the baby until he kicked her out. Of course, then they would always be tied to each other. He would insist on supporting both of them financially, having coverts and CPOs on them. She would have to see him at family gatherings, perhaps even with a new woman. And the child…the child who would want his father but would know that his father wasn't interested in him. No, the truth meant pain all 'round, for everyone.

Ana excused herself to go to the ladies' restroom. The food had arrived and she couldn't fight the nausea anymore. She vomited and vomited and then dry-heaved until there came a small knock at the door.

"Yes, sorry to be so long. I'll be right out," Ana responded.

"Do you need any help, ma'am? Your husband is concerned," came the voice of the waitress.

"No, no. Tell him that I'm fine. Thank you." It took every ounce of her strength to hold back the tears when the waitress told her that her husband was concerned. That would all end tonight.

CHAPTER 13

Christian decided to leave for Singapore early. He kissed Ana's cheek and held her tightly for a long moment….told her to call if she ever needed anything and that he would always love her. The elevator doors closed and Ana sank to her knees, curled into a ball and sobbed until there was nothing left. Hours after he'd gone, she got to her feet and crawled into their bed…one last time. In the morning, she would call Dr. Greene and see if the doctor could squeeze her in for a pregnancy test. The half-dozen she'd disposed of at the office had already confirmed her condition but she had questions to ask. Then she'd come home to pack and take a GreyHound to Montesano, to Dad. She'd wait out her pregnancy there and send out resumes to publishing houses around the country. She'd prefer to stay on the west coast, as far north as possible, to be near her father. She would need some help at first and her father was getting on in years. She wanted to be close to him even though it meant a greater possibility of hearing about GEH and Christian.

One day, she knew, she'd see an article, perhaps about the Coping Together Gala, and she'd have to face a photo of Christian and maybe his new girlfriend or even…fiancée. The thought of him giving his heart to another woman was almost too much to bear. Someday she might find out that he had children. Tonight she wondered how she would tolerate all the pain.

Ray heard the front door fly open and bang against the wall. He turned to see his daughter rushing into the bathroom and falling to her knees at the toilet without even closing the door. He quietly closed it and sat down in his easy chair to wait.

A while later, he heard the retching cease, the toilet flush, the faucet turn on and off and finally Ana emerged. She was paler than usual and shaky on her feet. Ray jumped up to help her to the couch and then went into the kitchen to get her a bottle of water. Ana gulped it down and then tried to catch her breath. She looked up at her father.

"Hi, Daddy. Thanks for the water. How are you doing?" she smiled at him.

"Well, I'm enjoying a new Patterson novel and worrying about my daughter. Do you have the flu, Annie?"

"No, I'm pregnant. About two months along. My doctor in Seattle says that I have hyperemesis gravidarum. It's like morning sickness but it never quits. She's hopeful that it will ease up during my second trimester. So, how's the new book?"

"Annie, honey, you look terrible. How long has this been going on?"

"Oh, a few weeks. I'm just tired, Dad. The journey, you know, and not getting much sleep. It's useless to even try because I keep waking up to vomit. Ironically, I heard that bad morning sickness can mean a healthier baby. So….there's that."

"Where is your husband?"

"Somewhere in the Orient, wheeling and dealing."

"You're sick like this and he left you?!" Ray growled.

"No, actually, I left him. It's a long story and I'd really like to get some rest before the nausea starts again. I hope I don't wake you or keep you up. I love you, Dad, and I'll tell you all about it in the morning, okay?" Ana pleaded.

Ray felt dubious but his little girl looked so sad and wrecked that he just wanted her to feel better. Without a word, he picked her up, hugged her close and carried her up the stairs to her old room. He set her down on the bed and then returned with her luggage to find her already asleep. He removed her shoes and her coat and tucked her under the covers. Then he pulled up a chair to watch her.

He knew that she usually had nightmares about Carla and her men a couple of hours into her sleep so he decided that tonight he needed to head them off. She looked so sick…it scared him. What the hell had happened to her marriage? He hadn't heard a car pull up. Did she get a ride as far as the head of the lane and then run the rest of the way? What had Christian done to her?

Ray felt himself getting angrier by the minute and tempted to call Grey but he figured that Annie probably wouldn't want him to do that. He went downstairs for his book and then returned to the bedroom to read.

As if on schedule, two hours later, Annie became restless. She began to whimper as her nightmare tore at her tired soul. He got up and sat with her, softly cooing and singing. He told her that he'd made the men and her mother go away. Soon she calmed down into a peaceful sleep. Ana never knew that her father had always done this for her. He never said a word except that he loved her and she was safe now. When she woke in the morning, she sometimes remembered the dream but never her father's comfort. Once she returned to sleep, he left a low light burning and sought out his own bed. He had a bad feeling that he was going to need all the rest he could get.

Ray woke in the morning to the sound of his daughter heaving her guts out. He'd never heard retching that rough when he was in the Seals and guys in training were emptying their stomachs constantly. He listened for the flush and then knocked softly on Annie's door.

"Come in, Daddy," called out Ana.

She lay on the bed with a wash cloth covering her face.

"It's still kind of early, honey. Do you want to try for more sleep?" he said encouragingly.

"No, Dad. I'll be vomiting soon again anyway. Did I wake you?"

"I barely slept. While we're waiting for the next onslaught, why don't you catch me up on your life? Last we talked, you were real happy with that fella. What happened? What did he do?"

"Oh, Dad," Ana smiled weakly, as she removed the cool cloth from her face. "Christian is a good man. He didn't do anything wrong. I just realized that we wanted different things and we'd be miserable if we stayed together, so I said goodbye and got on a Greyhound bus."

"He owns a couple of jets, a helicopter, a half dozen or more cars and drivers and he made you ride the bus?!"

"No, I'm going to be independent of him from now on so _**I**_ chose the bus. He'd actually be pretty pissed if he knew. By the way, he thinks that I moved to New York City for a new job so that's the story, ok?"

"Why did you lie to him? I got the impression that he is pretty nuts about you. That and very protective."

Ana sighed. Tears began to fall even as she tried to control her emotions.

"I broke his heart, Dad. I told him that I wanted to have children and since he didn't, I wouldn't hold him to his vows. I know that you're thinking that he'd come around once the child was born but I don't think so. I heard him talking to Elliot after El told him that Kate is due in 7 months and El is over the moon. Christian was adamant, almost angry about the idea of being a father. He told Elliot that I had agreed to the no children clause in our contract so no getting pregnant. He even assured Elliot that he'd talk me into an abortion if need be."

"Wait. Does he know that you're already pregnant, Annie? Did you leave him without telling him?"

Ana looked sheepish and nodded.

"I was going to that night and knew that it would be unwelcome news but we'd been so happy together for more than two years that I thought that we could work it through. That is, until I overheard his conversation with his brother. Then I knew that he'd resent me and the baby. I knew that I couldn't take the chance that he'd never come around and my child would suffer and our marriage would be over anyway. I didn't tell him that I was pregnant because he would insist on taking care of us financially. There'd be security all over us. We'd always be tied to each other."

"What did you mean by the "no children clause in your contract"? Was this a marriage contract?" asked Ray.

"Now, don't blow a gasket but initially, yes, it was an arrangement. His mother was desperate for him to marry. We got along well and he wanted to marry me to make his mother happy. We agreed to a year but it kept going because we fell in love. I agreed to the original terms…meaning no kids…because I didn't think that I wanted any either. I dreamt of advancing in the publishing world and I _was_ doing quite well. Somehow my secretary, Hannah, forgot to schedule my next appointment with Dr. Greene and, bob's your uncle, I became pregnant when the shot ran out of juice. Poor Hannah. She was hysterical. She wanted to go to Christian and take the blame but I refused. Geez, he'd ruin her.

So, anyway, I came up with this story that I wanted to move to New York to open a new branch of SIP and find a sperm donor. I saw Christian's world come crashing down in his face. He believed that I loved him and that we had a real marriage but I had to casually insist that it was an arrangement that had run its course. Remarkably, he doesn't hate me but I think I broke him, Daddy," cried Ana as she fell into her father's arms.

Ray wisely decided that Ana was too upset to talk sensibly right now so he simply held her and rocked her like he used to when she was little and tried to protect _him_ from Carla's rage. He remembered the night he saw the beer bottle Carla was throwing at him bounce instead off the head of his tiny 7-year-old daughter. He would have killed Carla right then and there if he hadn't had to get Annie to the ER for stitches. Shortly after, he came home from work to find that Carla had packed up and taken Annie to Texas. It took him 3 years to get her back but not before she suffered through husband #3. He still didn't know all that had happened to his daughter while she was gone but he knew it wasn't good.

Ana fell back to sleep. Ray went down to the kitchen and got another bottle of water, put it on her nightstand and closed the door behind him.

CHAPTER 14

Christian usually worked during long flights but all he could do was stare out the window. He was numb now. For the first couple of hours after leaving Escala he was terrified. Ana was leaving him. When he got home, it would be quiet, dark and empty. He used to find that comforting. Now it would cripple him when he stepped off the elevator.

He went over and over their conversation at the restaurant. He could, in retrospect, see that Ana was devastated but at the time all he felt was his own confusion and fear. She was leaving him. She called it ending their contract. They didn't have a contract! he raged inside. They had a marriage…and a damn good one. They were happy, mad for each other. It was his fault, he felt. Because he couldn't agree with her damn biological clock, they were done. He knew she was right.

Even to keep her, he couldn't want a child. He pictured their life…disrupted by a brat. Wouldn't Ana change when pregnancy hormones hit her? What if she had postpartum depression? And night after night of being awakened by a screaming kid needing a diaper change or a bottle? And sex…_no_ sex, rather, for six weeks! Good lord, he'd go crazy if he had to skip even one night of being inside his wife. There were other sexual things to do but mostly he needed to be home, home inside of Ana. Heck, most nights they fell asleep still connected to each other. And even after the six weeks was up, what if her sex drive changed? They'd always been compatible, insatiable for each other. Now she'd be too tired after taking care of a baby. She'd always choose the baby over him. He wouldn't be her whole world anymore like she was his. He knew that he'd grow to hate the kid.

He didn't understand this biological drive she talked about. Elliot was thrilled about being a father yet he'd never once before mentioned a need to have children. How could he suddenly be happy about it? Christian knew _his _feelings wouldn't change….he would never want to be a parent. He didn't even want a goldfish. He wanted to take care of Ana, just Ana. Now she didn't need him anymore. Suddenly, the numbness left and desperation filled his soul. He needed Ana and he needed her to need him. How was he going to live without her?

He didn't realize that Taylor was watching him and seeing him breathing hard and sweating. His longtime CPO came to Grey's side and urged him to take the pills he handed to him and to drink the water he set on the table before him. Grey was barely aware. He just did as he was told.

Taylor had gotten a text from Reynolds who was back home watching the security monitors.

_**Taylor, what's going on with the Greys?**_

_**Mrs. curled on floor in front of elevator doors. Hasn't moved for an hour.**_

**Not sure. Grey about to pass out. I'll get back to you.**

As Grey emerged from his strange state, he looked up at Taylor.

"Ana left me, Taylor. She wants a divorce. She asked that I remove security. Please give her what she wants, ok?"

"Of course, sir. Can I do anything for _you_, sir? Perhaps you should try to sleep now?"

Grey blinked up at the man with the buzz cut gazing down at him with such concern.

"I'll try, I guess."

A few minutes later, the sleeping meds that Taylor had given Grey took effect.

**Reynolds, remove security from Mrs. Grey. She'll be leaving soon.**

_**Leaving!? Like, separating-leaving?**_

**Yes, that's all Grey said. Just give her what she wants. **

_**Crap…I don't envy you the next couple of weeks.**_

No, thought Taylor. It is going to be a hellish ride. He couldn't wait until they landed and he could call Gail. He'd been dreading this trip for weeks. Two weeks without his Gail would be bad enough but two weeks with Grey without his Ana…

And now, it would be a return without Ana there.

Day after day, Ray listened to Ana's morning, afternoon and into the night vomiting. She was barely functioning. Her pale complexion was turning ashen. She wasn't gaining weight; she was losing it. She was rarely able to eat and more rarely able to keep it down. After a week, Ray put her in the car and drove her to the Montesano clinic. From there, they referred him to the Summit Pacific Medical Center in Grays Harbor. The doctors at Summit took one look at her and admitted her. They hooked her up to a saline drip to rehydrate her, telling Ray that she couldn't go on the way she was. Ana didn't like it much, esp. vomiting into a little bowl with nurses watching. Since she couldn't keep solids down, she was given medical smoothies…disgusting things.

As she entered her second trimester, the nausea eased. She began to eat and gain back some weight. She was still vomiting a couple of times a day but it was a major improvement. The doctors stood around discussing her 'case' as if she weren't in the room but she was too weak to care. She slept mostly until the day she was told that she was well enough to return to Ray's. She felt guilty about being a burden. She'd thought that she'd stay with Ray for a couple of weeks and then move to New York but she'd been too sick to even think about sending out resumes.

She thought about Christian. He'd be back at Escala by now. He'd miss her at first but he had his family and his company and Ros and he'd adjust soon. She wondered if_ she_ ever would.

CHAPTER 17

Grace called but no one answered. Elliot and Mia tried to visit Christian but found that the penthouse code had been changed. Elliot was worried and Mia was angry with Ana. When Carrick called SIP, he was told that Ana had resigned from her position within days of being promoted. It was Kate and her interrogation techniques that finally cracked Hannah.

Sitting around the family dining table, Kate shocked the family with the news that Ana was going to have a baby.

Elliot revealed his last conversation with Christian.

"She's left him, hasn't she?" Mia asked sadly.

"That would explain his return to isolation," replied Carrick. "I tried to call and to visit the 30th floor and was told that I, _his father_, did not have clearance for that floor! He's in hiding, all right, and worse than before Ana."

"So, Ana told him that she is pregnant and he kicked her out," raged Elliot as he rose from his chair and began to pace. "He loved that woman like a man possessed. He couldn't stop looking at her, always had to be touching her. They were literally connected."

"Well, Hannah feels responsible," Kate revealed. "She didn't have Ana's appointment with her doctor on her schedule. She told me that she always transferred Ana's regular appointments over to the new year and she doesn't understand why that one didn't show up. Ana was always so busy that she depended completely on Hannah to remind her about everything that she was to do."

"That's odd, isn't it?" scowled Elliot. "Almost as if someone wanted Ana to miss her Depo injection. She'd never get pregnant without Christian's approval. Another odd thing I learned when I last talked with my brother was that he viewed his marriage as a contractual arrangement. He referred to the 'no children' clause."

"Now I recall our conversation the day he and Ana just showed up with rings," Carrick noted. "He said that he liked her, that his marriage made everyone happy and that they'd agreed to have a childless arrangement. I was baffled at the time but soon saw that he was, indeed, happy. He loved that girl. To break up over a pregnancy seems ridiculous," Carrick asserted angrily.

"I'm going to call Ray," said Grace. She rose from the table and went into the kitchen to use the landline.

Everyone else sat around discussing the situation, wondering and analyzing until Grace returned….too quickly.

"Well, that was a short conversation. What did he say?" Carrick asked.

"He said that he knew that Ana and Christian had separated and that Ana was pregnant but he couldn't tell me anything more without betraying Ana's confidence. He couldn't, he said, reveal her whereabouts either but that she was doing well.

Elliot pulled out his phone and called Barney, Christian's tech genius. When he returned to the table, he explained that he had asked Barney to look into the missing appointment.

"Barney said that it would be simple to hack into Hannah's computer. SIP doesn't even have a firewall. They just never saw the need for security. He'll get back to us as soon as possible."

"Do you really think that someone deliberately sabotaged Hannah's schedule?" exclaimed Grace. "That seems extreme. Who would want to do that and why would someone want to get Ana pregnant?"

Everyone at the table looked at Grace. She always saw the good in people and it was one of the many reasons that her family loved her. She was also naïve at times but could be a tigress when it came to protecting her children.

"Think, Mom. Who knows Christian so well that they know he doesn't want children? Who taught him that he couldn't love, couldn't be a father? Who brought Ana's wreck of a mother to town to torment her?"

As Elliot went on, Grace felt again the terrible ache in her heart. She still felt responsible for her former best friend's seduction of Christian. And now she felt sure that Elena had had a hand in the failure of Christian's marriage. She buried her face in her hands and began to cry. Carrick pulled her into his arms and then unto his lap, rocking her and trying to assure her that things would all work out. Then Mia, watching her beloved mother fall apart, cuddled up next to her father and cried along with her mother.

Kate and Elliot understood why Grace was so upset. They also knew that nothing could convince her that Christian's troubles were a result of his own choices. So, they sat quietly together, waiting for Barney's call.

.+.

Christian also sat quietly. It was how he spent his days now. Staring at pictures of Ana or looking out at the Seattle skyline. He wondered and worried constantly about her well-being. He was trying hard to honor her request that he leave her be. No stalking. He looked down at his phone, at a picture of him and Ana beaming. They were on board the Grace. He'd sell it now. It no longer offered him the comfort it used to….it was only a reminder. Ana's ghost would be on board always.

He'd contacted a realtor about buying a house on the Sound. He and Ana had often talked about someday living by the water. Escala was Ana now. Every room was Ana. He'd moved into a guest room. Sleeping in his and Ana's bed alone made him hurt so badly that he just avoided the room. Many nights he slept on the couch.

He sold her Saab. Seeing that car in her bay when he arrived home each night made his heart jump. He knew she wasn't waiting for him upstairs. Sometimes, he sat paralyzed in his Mercedes until Taylor opened his door and unbuckled his seat belt. He had to buckle Christian in as well now. He feared that his boss had a death wish.

Gail was frantic. She cooked Christian's favorite dishes but he ate little. In the past, no matter his mood, eating well was his religion. Now she watched as he pushed his food around and didn't care if there was waste. She'd begun guiding him through his routine…reminding him to take his shower, to eat breakfast, to go to bed, to get up. She now chose his clothes each day and laid them out for him. All the while, he wandered zombie-like about the house…trying to find a place without Ana in it.

Grace called several times a day but he never answered or listened to her messages. Finally, he did the unthinkable. He turned off his phone. His mother then called Gail who kept her updated. "He doesn't shave for days in a row until I tell him to do so. He doesn't eat much and he's losing weight. He doesn't work out anymore. He'd lie in bed all day unless I get him up and tell him to go to work. Ros tells me that he is useless at GEH. I called his former therapist, John Flynn, but Christian wouldn't see him. He's looking gaunt and gray."

Then, almost choking on her tears, Gail revealed her fear that Christian was trying to die. She and Grace cried together. She broke her NDA, giving Grace the code to the penthouse, knowing that Christian could fire her but not caring. She wouldn't leave him anyway. He was like a son to her.

CHAPTER 18

Ana was well into her second trimester and still sick all day and night. Worrying for her baby, she courageously forced food down her throat and kept a bottle of water with her although she knew she'd only throw it all up again. She was still losing weight. Miraculously, her baby was doing well. Her doctor was surprised, she could tell. He also kept telling her that her hyperemesis gravidrum should be easing up soon but that sometimes it lasted an entire pregnancy. He warned her that if things continued as they did, she'd have to be hospitalized again.

She prayed that Christian would honor her request to stay out of her life. She knew that if he got wind of her health issues, he'd be at her side and then he'd find out about his child.

Ray was her rock, more than ever. When she woke in the middle of the night to rush for the bathroom, she'd find him sleeping in the recliner he'd moved into her room on the pretext that it was for her comfort. She knew better. He was never far from her side. He was more physically comforting than he'd ever been. He would braid her hair and pin it into a bun so that it wasn't in the way when she was sick. When she would stumble back to her bed after losing all her strength and her breakfast, Ray would rub her back until she fell asleep. He didn't want to leave her alone while he went fishing or hunting for dinner but she insisted. He'd also turned down orders for furniture and had not been in his shop working since Ana arrived. However, most people were willing to wait because of the quality of his creations.

So, this was Ray's life now. Watching Ana trying to eat, listening to Ana retching, coaxing her to breathe through the terrible nausea that consumed her. The worst part of his day was watching Ana writhing and panting as she suffered. And she cried. Ray knew that she didn't want him to know but he did. He'd look out the screen door and see her lying in the grass, her shoulders shaking as sobs racked her body. She would call out for Christian in her sleep and Ray wanted to kill him for hurting his baby girl so badly. The bastard!

.+.

The bastard was still in bed when Elliot walked into his bedroom. Christian felt nothing, noted Elliot's presence and then closed his eyes again. Elliot squatted down to Christian at eye level and gently told him that the entire family was waiting in his great room. He had ten minutes to shower, brush his teeth and get dressed before Elliot came back to 'assist him'.

Groaning, Grey stumbled into the shower, brushing his teeth as the water fell around him and pulling on a sweat shirt and pants. Elliot walked in as he finished, enveloped Christian in his arms and held on tightly. No one had touched him since Ana and Christian fought the tears brimming in his eyes. Then, with his arm around his brother's shoulder, Elliot led him downstairs. Christian would have once felt anger at this intrusion but apathy had taken him over to such an extent that he felt nothing when seeing Grace, Carrick, Mia and Kate, Taylor and Gail….all waiting for him.

Each person in turn hugged Christian and told him that they loved him very much. Well, everyone but Taylor who maintained his stern professional demeanor.

Christian had no reaction as he plopped down on the couch next to his mother. He didn't ask why they were there or care that they were. He zoned out, thinking of Ana's eyes. Gail had blue eyes. He looked up at her. She was trying to not cry.

Carrick sat on the other side of his son and put his arm around his shoulders.

"Son, you look like hell. Gail tells us that you actually waste food!"

Christian wasn't angry with Gail…she had blue eyes.

"Darling, we have some things to tell you. Please try to listen," urged Grace.

Kate spoke up. She told Christian that Ana was pregnant and had been 2 months along when they parted ways. This got Grey's attention.

"Whose baby? Did she cheat on me before she left? Is that why she really left…because she'd already found a father for her brat?" There was no emotion in his voice. It was a deadly monotone.

"No, Christian," Kate continued. "You are the father of Ana's child. She was about to tell you when she overheard your conversation with Elliot. Do you remember that talk, Christian? You told El about your 'arrangement' with Ana and your 'no baby' clause and how if Ana became pregnant, she'd have to have an abortion. Is it coming back to you? Well, she overheard you. She told only me and swore me to secrecy. I kept quiet because I thought it best but looking at you now…."

"But, we agreed. And Ana was on the shot. It can't be my mine."

Elliot knelt in front of Christian again, trying to establish eye to eye contact.

"Christian, Ana missed her last appointment with Dr. Greene. Her birth control ran out. There was no one else sleeping with Ana. She was always faithful to you."

"No," replied Christian, "she told me that she was going to find a sperm donor and move to New York. Ana would never lie to me. She wouldn't," he said. For the first time, his voice was strong, in Ana's defense.

"Ana _did_ lie to you but she did it _for_ you," Elliot said. "She knew you wouldn't accept the child but would still feel responsible. She wanted to spare you all the things you said to me that night. I think that she wanted to free you from a marriage that would begin to hurt you. I'm sure that she also feared what your resentment toward the child would do to him."

"But why? Why would she be so careless about her birth control? She knew how important it was to me to have her all to myself. I didn't want to share her with a kid. She agreed. She thought that she could force a kid on me?" Christian said in alarm. His Ana wouldn't do that to him.

Kate walked over and handed a phone to Christian. "Just listen to this, Christian. It's a conversation with Barney that Elliot recorded. It will explain everything."

Christian reluctantly accepted the phone and turned on the recording. He listened as Barney explained that he'd found that Hannah's computer had been hacked. Someone had erased the doctor's appointment from her calendar. Further digging had traced the hack back to a guy who lived in his mother's basement. At this point, Taylor had taken over and forced a confession out of the hacker. He'd been contacted and paid by a woman. She refused to give her name but when she thought he was taking too long to finish the job, she came to the house, waved a pile of money at him and watched as he went to work.

She was very intimidating, the kid recalled. She seemed to have claws rather than hands. She dressed all in black leather and the hairs peeking out of her hat were blonde.

Everyone looked at Christian and waited for all of it to sink in. Slowly, he stood up.

"Taylor, get the car. We're going to Elena's and I'm going to kill her." Christian was coming to life.

"Son, we've already turned over all the evidence to the police. They arrested Elena this morning. Currently, she has to wait until a hearing before a judge and try to make bail. I've taken steps to freeze all her assets but I suppose she could blackmail someone to provide the funds. With her nerve, she might even try you. However, I've quietly put out the word to the BDSM community that should Elena contact them, they should try to record the call and we can add blackmail to the charges. There is also a possibility that we can get the Feds involved.

"In other words, Christian, you can't kill Elena just now. But these are the facts: Ana did not deliberately become pregnant and the child is yours. She knew you'd be upset but hearing you talking about ending your marriage or forcing her to abort must have convinced her that she needed to release you from your so-called arrangement. She did it for your sake, we're sure. She could have taken you for half of everything but she even left her car. She asked nothing of you and only wanted to spare you."

"Spare me! Christ, she threw me into hell! I can't manage without her. If she really wanted to spare me pain, all she had to do was get rid of the thing but she chose it over me. No one and nothing means more to me than Ana and I thought she felt the same…but _she chose it!_"

"Oh, for crying out loud, you babbling baby. It's long past time that you grew up!" raged Kate. "I have one of those 'its' in me and Elliot knows that a child is a gift to him, that I love him even more deeply because we share this life we made together. You selfish son-of-a-bitch. I'm tired of your whinying. The first thing I knew about your family is that everything is about you first. God, the way Grace puts out a place setting for you every Sunday even tho' we know you won't show and the way Carrick reaches across the empty chair when we join hands….

That stops now, by the way, this fixation on poor Christian makes this family unhappy. I do not want my husband always feeling hurt that his little brother won't play with him. I don't want my child to slowly come to the realization that the mysterious and missing Uncle Christian can't stand her.

"You are not the center of the world, Christian, and your childish demand that you should be hurts all of us, including you. Now, Ana is out there somewhere, going through a pregnancy without you beside her and supporting her. I don't know how I'd manage without Elliot's support. He comes home at the end of a hard day and massages _my_ swollen feet. Ana is probably better off without_ you_ but we would all like her to return to us."

"I can massage _2 sets_ of swollen feet, no problem. I'm also looking forward to a niece or nephew. Our children should grow up together. Kate is right. Your selfishness has hurt this family. We all love Ana, too, except that we don't have conditions for her to follow. We just want her home."

"You're right. I am a selfish bastard. That's why I can't be a father. Don't you see that?"

"NO!" Everyone said at the same time.

"You _are_ _already_ a father, Christian. The baby is on the way. You have to accept that and step up like a man," Carrick said firmly. "You need to adjust your attitude. Get Elena out of your head. Learn to be everything your child needs.

Now, I'm taking everyone out to breakfast. You can come along if you like." At that everyone rose and walked to the elevator. Christian sat on the couch, with his face buried in his hands. As the doors closed, he looked up into Gail's blue eyes.

"You gave them the code, didn't you?"

Gail nodded.

"You're fired."

"Yes, sir. Do you feel like you could eat something? I'll make whatever you like. Please eat."

"Pancakes, bacon and fruit. Ana's breakfast," and for the first time in a long time, he smiled a bit.

CHAPTER 19

When the jailer told Elena that she had a visitor, she wasn't surprised. Poor Christian was probably beside himself over what had happened to her. She was still confused. She had simply poured herself a whiskey and taken a seat to read the paper when her doorbell rang. She was still in her nightclothes and fuzzy slippers. Perhaps she'd just ignore the bell. On the other hand, maybe it was a boy selling something. Worth a look, she thought.

When she opened the door to see several police officers waiting on her, she smiled sweetly at them. They, however, looked quite stern. They informed her that they had a warrant for her arrest and that she had to come with them. Elena was indignant.

"I am in my nightclothes, gentlemen. I don't go about as such. You may come in and wait while I dress."

They grimly told her that their invitation was 'come as you are'. She was intrigued. She'd heard about such parties but still felt she needed a bit of makeup. When they turned her around and cuffed her, her head began to buzz. What was wrong with these people? They wouldn't allow her to have her breakfast, finish her drink or even change into proper footwear. She would inform her friends in high places that the SPD lacked proper manners.

As she was taken from the car at the station, the paparazzi flashbulbs exploded all around. She tried to properly pose for them but the officers hustled her straight into the building. Every request she made was denied. No, she could not go to the ladies lounge and freshen up. No, no one would obtain a Starbucks latte for her. No, her maid was not allowed to bring her a change of clothing. She was moved roughly from place to place. She squealed in disgust when she was fingerprinted. She demanded a shower but was given only a wipe to clean off the ink. Finally, she was forced to change into an orange jumpsuit and incarcerated in a cell. She was allowed one phone call, and, remarkably, called Carrick Grey for legal assistance.

"Carrick, Grace and I have been the dearest of friends for 20 years. Surely that counts for something."

Carrick was gob smacked and sure that Elena was mentally deranged. He assured Elena that the court would provide counsel for her. Her response was to note that she certainly expected them to pay Carrick because she couldn't afford him on her own. Then she informed Carrick that she was quite tired now and would be expecting him to come and take her home soon. Carrick couldn't wait to get off the phone and tell Grace about the call. Grace concluded that Elena was intending an insanity defense.

Her jailers put her in a tiny interrogation room where she awaited Christian. She looked around behind the strange man who entered but Christian wasn't with him. Odd. Well, he'd be by later. He was undoubtedly busy setting things right for her. After all, he owed so much to her that he couldn't begin to repay her kindness. Without her help, she told the strange man who'd identified himself as her public defender, he'd still be ensnared by that gold-digging farm girl. The lawyer just sighed and began discussing her case while her head buzzed.

.+.

8 p.m. Who would come knocking on his door at this time of the the night. It was getting dark already. Ray picked up his shotgun and opened the door.

"Hi, Ray."

"What the hell are you doing here at this hour, Grey?" barked Ray.

"I've come to collect my wife and child, Ray. May I come in?"

Ray glanced quickly around the living room for evidence that Ana had been there.

"What makes you think that Ana is here anyway? And what child are you talking about?" he growled.

Christian sat down and looked up at Ray. "Could you ask Ana to come down, please?"

"Ana isn't here, Grey. Last we talked, she was in New York City. How come you didn't know that?"

"Nice try, Ray. How is she feeling?"

Ray sighed. "She's upstairs…sleeping, I hope. She's been mighty sick, Christian. She spends most of her days and nights throwing up and sleeping from exhaustion until the nausea wakes her again. Two weeks ago, I had to take her to the hospital again. The doctor keeps telling us that this hyper-whats-it thing she has should ease up soon but it seems to be getting worse. I don't know how she's made it this far without losing that baby."

Ray pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and quickly wiped his eyes.

"I know that you have more resources than I do. I tried to get her to call you but she told me that she wasn't your responsibility anymore. She swears that you're not to blame and that the separation was her idea. You gotta tell me what's going on, Christian, 'cause the only reason I haven't made it into Seattle to shoot you is because I can't leave her for a minute."

"Well, 1st, it isn't her fault that we split up. Neither of us wanted it but she convinced me that it was what she needed to do. She was going to move to New York for a new job, find a sperm donor and have a baby. She knew that I didn't want to be a father but she said that her clock had started ticking. She wanted to leave before she began to resent me. I didn't know that she was already pregnant. She didn't know that Elena Lincoln had hacked into her assistant's schedule and deleted the appointment reminder for her next injection. She thought I'd go ballistic, make her get an abortion.

"I've been really sick, too, Ray. I'm lost without her. I figured that she'd come back to you, to the only man she'd never lost trust in. I want to take her home and try to get her to trust me again. It would help, maybe, if you came to stay until the baby arrives. Besides, it might take your presence to get her to come with me."

For the first time since he arrived, Ray stopped to take a good look at his son-in-law. Christian was pale, thin and had an anguish in his eyes that affected Ray.

"I'm sorry, son, I can see that this separation has been hard on you. I didn't realize. I just assumed that you were the villain."

Christian leaned his elbows on his knees and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. He took in a hard, ragged breath.

"I am the villain, Ray. I'm a selfish bastard. I approach being a good man only when I'm with Ana. She gave me a life I was sure that I could never have, didn't know how to begin to have. I need her," he said as his voice broke.

"I've spent weeks in intense therapy. I'll keep going. I'll welcome this child and learn how to be a father and damn sight better husband. I have to be everything Ana needs because I'm just a shell without her. I don't eat. I can barely sleep and always have nightmares. Please let me see her, Ray," Christian begged. "If I'd known that she was so sick, I'd have come sooner but I didn't know and I was such a wreck, I thought I needed to get myself together first."

"Don't wake her. She'll be up soon enough. And _don't_ get in her way when she's running to the bathroom."

Christian quickly removed his shoes and dashed for the stairs, walking down the hall as quietly as possible to Ana's door. She was curled in her bed and everything in him needed to wrap his arms around her but instead he took a seat in the recliner and sat, watching. For the first time in months he himself fell easily to sleep until he awakened to Ana writhing and whimpering. Suddenly, before he could move, she jumped to her feet and ran past him into the bathroom. He listened with aching heart to her violent retching and then dry heaving over and over. Finally, he heard the toilet flushing. Then he heard her brush her teeth.

She stumbled back into the bedroom, wobbling past him without noticing, muttering "go back to sleep, Dad. I'm okay." She struggled back into her bed, unable to even pull on the covers, collapsing with a moan and curling up with her back to Christian. After a few minutes, he thought he heard her breathing evenly so he got up and climbed into the bed behind her, wrapping himself around her as he always had, whispering that he loved her.

After a moment, he was surprised to hear her speak. She'd always talked in her sleep but this was directly to him as if she knew that he was with her.

"I love you, too….but you're not real. You're a dream..just a dream."

"No. I'm real, Ana."

"…a hallucination, hallu…" her voice trailed off as she fell to sleep.

Christian wondered how a man's heart could simultaneously throb with joy and break in half. He was with her, holding her again and she still loved him but she was so sick, so thin. He didn't want to fall asleep. He wanted to be aware of every moment with Ana but his exhausted body betrayed his mind and drew him down into the darkness.

CHAPTER 20

Meanwhile, Taylor resigned himself to sleeping in the car. Still, he knew his boss was with Ana and this made him smile. The past few months had cut him to his core. His wife was always sad, often crying. She tried to hide her fear and sorrow from Jason to spare him any more worry but he would look into her tired and red-rimmed eyes and hold her as tightly as he could. It killed him that he couldn't do anything to make her happy again. They'd really been spoiled the past couple of years, watching the laughter and the love fest at Escala since Ana moved in. She lit up the penthouse and filled it with warmth. He remembered the first Christmas when she made Grey string popcorn and then nearly burned down the house by hanging stockings above the fireplace. As the smoke alarm screamed, Taylor sprinted around the corner with an extinguisher to find a long row of stockings hanging aflame. The boss had been so anxious to get Ana into bed that he'd forgotten to switch off the hearth.

Christian ran into the great room to find Taylor standing in a cloud of powder, trying to catch his breath and glaring at him. Looking sheepishly at the mess, Grey thanked Taylor and bid him goodnight, thinking happily that now that he and Ana were awake again, they could go back to what they were doing when exhaustion made them fall asleep.

Taylor smiled to himself, reminiscing about their time with Ana. It seemed that Grey was talking and laughing all the time. Ana held dinners once a month for family and friends; he and Gail were always included. Grey got rid of the pool table and installed a ping-pong table just because it was such fun to watch Elliot fail time and time again to win a game against Ana. Two+ years of joy and love in that once cold and empty penthouse and one night, out of the blue, it was over.

Grey had gone downhill fast and hard from the moment they left Ana at the house and Grey knew that she wouldn't be there when he returned. It had been the devil's own to get him through his Asian tour…hiding the liquor, propping him up through meetings and calming him through horrific nightmares. Somehow, Christian had enough pride to summon his Grey CEO at crucial moments but too often he had to be nudged to pay attention.

Grey's aides hinted to the people he met that he was acting…that pretending that he didn't give a damn was just a tactic to rattle his opponents.

All pretense was dropped the moment they returned to the jet. Grey shut himself up in his bedroom with bottles of Jim Beam. He was too drunk to walk or stand when they landed at Sea-Tac so Taylor had him on a gurney to get him into the car while the GEH PR department put out a story that he'd picked up a virus and was severely dehydrated. When he was not seen in public, nor Ana, the word was put out that after two weeks apart, they just wanted to stay home. In the weeks after, there was simply speculation…and not too far off the mark, either..that Ana was pregnant and resting.

Seeing Grey rapidly deteriorated, physically and mentally, was highly distressing for Gail and Taylor, the only people who saw him much. Gail kept Grace informed but it wasn't until the family intervention that everyone else realized how bad it had gotten. While they were helping Christian come back to life, they insisted that he get himself together, both mentally and physically before he tracked Ana down. They warned him that if she saw him as he now appeared, she'd be horrified.

They were about to be right. As dawn came to Montesano, Christian felt Ana's absence and opened his eyes. He rolled over to look at the bathroom door and found Ana staring down at him. She was breathing hard. She'd been vomiting for 10 minutes and, now, with her head spinning, thought two things. She was imagining her husband lying in her bed and he looked terrible.

Christian was equally appalled. In the morning light, he could see that Ana was not only terribly thin but gaunt and gray. She was wearing one of his t-shirts. He reached his hand up to her. She hadn't the strength to stay standing so she took his hand as he eased her onto the bed and wrapped her in his arms.

"Christian? Am I dreaming again?" Ana said weakly.

"No, my love. I'm here with you…where I should be."

"Have you been ill?" she asked.

"Yes, very much so but I'm getting better by the minute. Have you been ill, too?" he asked as he dabbed her moist forehead with the sheet.

"A bit. A little flu, I guess," Ana lied. Christian buried his face in her hair.

"Ana, I've been holding you for hours," he smiled as he gently rubbed her baby bump.

"Why are you here? Now?" she asked, as her eyes grew heavy.

When he saw that she was about to fall asleep again, Christian kissed her cheek. "I'm only where I should have been all along, my beautiful girl."

He unwrapped himself from her just long enough to reach into his pocket and call Taylor. He wanted to get Ana to the helicopter and to Seattle before she woke again. He hadn't trusted himself to fly Charlie Tango. His concentration had gotten so bad lately. 30 minutes later, he heard his backup pilot landing in the huge clearing behind Ray's house. Meanwhile, he cleaned up, brushed his teeth and while Ray packed a bag, he gathered Ana up in a blanket and his arms and out to the back lawn. He secured Ana with two seat belts and himself with the third, thankful he'd bought a seven-seater. Ray sat further back and Taylor next to the pilot. Taylor called ahead to Seattle General to advise that Charlie Tango would need the rooftop landing pad in one hour. Grace would be waiting.

Christian spent the hour looking at Ana as she lay in his arms. He could hardly believe that she was here with him. He thought he'd never see her again. He'd spent the whole time that she was missing trying to die. He thought that there was nothing left for him.

Just as they touched down, Ana began to sweat profusely and pant, writhing with the agony of nausea. The doctor and orderlies got her unto a gurney just as she began to vomit. Lying on her back, she began to choke as Christian screamed at them to roll her over. Instead, they put an oxygen mask on her, believing that her heaving chest meant that she couldn't breathe. Christian ripped off the mask and quickly rolled Ana over to her side as she began to spew vomit and stomach bile. Christian removed his sweater and moped up her face. Then he kissed her forehead and reassured her that he wouldn't leave her. Ana opened her heavy eye lids and smiled weakly at him. He took her hand. He then looked at the doctor, defying him to refuse Christian's presence.

Jesus H. Christ, he thought, maybe I should put her back on Charlie Tango and take her to a better hospital.

Grace ran up to him as the elevator doors opened, noticing immediately that his pants were splashed with vomit.

"Mom, help her, watch her. These guys were letting her lay on her back. She could have choked to death," his tone a combination of terror and fury. "I promised her that I wouldn't leave but I know they'll push me aside soon. Don't leave her alone, please," he begged.

"Christian, I will be one of her attendings. As soon as she is settled comfortably in the private suite you ordered, I'll call you in. Meanwhile, the family is in the waiting room. Go be with them. They are quite worried, too."

Ray, following along behind and feeling helpless, took comfort from Grace's words. He took Christian by his arm and led him into the private lounge where Ana would be admitted. He then called Carrick and invited everyone. It was a huge room and he figured that her family would not be in the way. The private nurses Christian had ordered glared at the lot and warned them to stand well back so they could do their jobs, all the while muttering their disapproval. "Irregular", they complained.

When Ana was finally brought in, she had a feeding tube down her throat and a bag slowly dripping fluids into her arm. When last the family had seen her, she was shining, bright and beautiful. Now her appearance was frightening. Grace was calm and Christian was already familiar with the change in Ana but the rest of the family, along with Gail and Taylor, were devastated by what her pregnancy had done to her.

Gail wept in Taylor's arms. Kate and Elliot held each other and shook. Carrick enveloped a sobbing Mia, who, having no filter, blurted out, "Is Ana going to die?" Christian would usually have yelled 'NO' at his sister but he was too tired and scared to speak or move. Instead, he looked to his mother for all the information she could give him.

"All right, everyone, this is what we know," she began. "Ana is 6 months+ pregnant. Most of that time she's been suffering from a form of morning sickness called Hyperemesis Gravidarum. It is characterized by severe nausea, inability to keep any food down, severe dehydration and 24/7 vomiting. As Ray could tell you, Ana doesn't get much sleep, gets headaches, has no energy. She's lost a lot of weight and has low blood pressure. In a word, Ana is quite ill. "The IVs you see are providing hydration and nutrients. I know that the Nasogastric tube in her nose is disturbing but a tube going into her stomach directly would require surgery and she is not a surgical candidate in her current condition."

"Mom," sobbed Mia, "how long does she have to stay like this?"

"I'm sorry to say, dear, but indications are that she may have to remain here for treatment until the baby is born. She'll also have to have a C-section. She's too weak to survive labor. The good news is that the baby is healthy."

"Do you know if it's a girl or boy yet, Gracie?" enquired Carrick.

"Yes, but that information should be shared first with the parents and then they can decide if they want to share with us. Now you've all seen Ana so let's leave Christian alone with her. We'll have to see how things go to decide about future visits."

**WEEKS LATER**

**CHAPTER 21**

Christian released Ana's hand and stood up to stretch. It had been several long weeks. Watching Ana. Watching her monitors. Constantly bugging the nurses with questions about what he saw on the monitors. Studying the latest sonogram and asking Grace what this shadow means and that bright spot is. When Ana woke, he could share all the information with her. They could talk about their child together. He could show her that he'd changed, that he wanted the baby, too.

He thought about the conversation she'd overheard that last night and cringed. He must have sounded monstrous, insisting that she'd have to abide by their deal, bragging that he would manipulate her into an abortion…..even saying that she'd have to leave! It was all bullshit for his brother's benefit. A man in love, esp. the depth of love he felt for Ana, would tolerate anything, give anything, for the woman he loved. Sure, he would have probably ranted and raged and Ana would have just smiled at him until he calmed down. The next day he would have bought every book published about babies and being a father. He would have taken a leave from GEH to take care of Ana.

The hell she'd been through all this time because he was an arsehole. He'd completely failed as a husband. He violated his vows and put them both through hell. Meanwhile, as always, Ana had taken the hit, protecting him. How often had she put her needs aside to make life easier for him? And how often did he not even notice? Well, that couldn't happen anymore. He would insist that Ana be completely honest with him no matter how much he moaned and groaned. And he would demand of himself that he take more notice of what she did for him. Now, with the baby, they needed to be equal partners. He'd take a step back from GEH and make Ros CEO. Maybe Ana could work more from home. When had he stopped realizing that she was such a winsome and delicate creature? Her fragility was one of the first things he knew about her. It was why he felt so strongly about protecting her. Still, somehow, he'd turned it all around so that he saw Ana as the strong one. It was Ana who thought of everyone else. It was Ana who looked out for the family. And in the end it was Ana who broke her own heart to protect his.

For the hundredth time that day, he kissed his wife's forehead and whispered, "I love you." He knew being sedated was better for Ana but he so craved her smile, her shining eyes. The sun was missing for him. He talked to Ana all day, reminiscing about how they met and married….laughing about how they'd sprung their marriage on his parents. He recalled holidays…days gathered with the whole family. Ana would mostly listen quietly or laugh at Christian and Elliot wrestling. He reminded Ana about all the nights they spent on the waters of the Sound, cuddled together under a blanket, looking up at the stars. They would make love, rocking on the waves, and be wakened by the dawns light. Then they would make love again.

Did she know, he wondered, how excited he was everyday to get off the elevator? He wasn't the one who ran across the room and nearly knocked the other to the ground with the pure joy of his being there. He wanted to drop his briefcase to the floor and dash for Ana but his male ego made him 'play it cool'. He wasn't really fooling Ana, however, not with the way he held her so tightly, as if she were keeping him from falling off a cliff.

"Baby, I'd have to say that my favorite memories are of you and me in bed. I don't just mean having incredible sex either. I mean all the hours of talking, talking about everything. Do you remember that conversation we had about the best place to next vacation?" Christian laughed. "And we were really serious about our opposing viewpoints until you decided to win the argument by kissing your way down my 'happy trail', as you call it, and latching onto my very delighted dick. After an hour of making love, we curled firmly together and I couldn't stop saying how much I loved you…over and over.

"It's always been that way with us, Ana. And then I let you go because I was afraid of being a father. I'm an idiot, Ana, and you have to forgive me and come back to me. I'm hopeless without you." That's how it was every day, week after week. Periodically, Grace or Kate would force him to go back to Escala to shower and change clothes. Kate complained that forcing him to clean up almost wasn't worth it. The interrogation about Ana's every breath that he'd missed while gone almost induced a migraine.

Every few days a letter would arrive from Elena. Please, she would beg of Ana, tell Christian I'm innocent, I did nothing wrong. Let him come to see me. If _you_ would just tell him to help me, he would fix everything. Christian would sometimes read the notes but mostly shred and toss. Thus, it was Carrick who told him that somehow Elena had gotten bail money. And thus, Grey was not too surprised when Sawyer knocked lightly on Ana's door and informed Grey that Elena was out in the hallway.

Christian leaned over his sleeping wife and kissed her cheek, telling her that he'd be close at hand. Then he walked into the corridor, grabbed Elena by the arm and dragged her down the dim hallway to an unoccupied office. When he turned on the light, Elena was shocked by his appearance.

"Oh, my darling boy, look what she's done to you. I told you that she was bad for you. You have to get away from her," Elena grimaced.

"Elena," he glared fiercely at her. "You are not to ever come anywhere near Ana or me. No letters, no phone calls. I've told you this many times and yet throughout our marriage, you have tried to insinuate yourself into our lives. Ana would not be in this condition if you had not meddled with her doctor appointment. Yes, I claim responsibility but you got the ball rolling.

"Ana is unconscious and will be for some time. Your letters pleading for her intervention on your behalf go right into file 13. They only remind me that you still exist and infuriate me more. You're going to pay, Elena," Christian's gray eyes had gone black with loathing.

"You can't mean that, darling. I've been so devoted to you for so many years. Without my devotion….."

Christian cut her off, "I'd have lived a normal life. I'd have fewer scars. Ana thinks my scars are all due to the _pimp's_ _devotion_ to me. If she knew that you whipped and caned them into my 14-year-old body, she would have come after you a long time ago. If I didn't have to stay by Ana's side, I'd have you strung up on your carabiners, closed the door and sealed it off. You'd rot alone.

"Run, you hag. Run," he growled deep in his throat. The venom in Christian's voice seemed to curdle Elena's blood as she sat there, staring at him in horror. The boy who worshiped her was gone. A hideous creature with eyes of burning coal loomed over her.

Elena edged carefully around Grey, noting the fists clenched at his sides and the veins popping out of his arms. She threw the door open and ran as fast as she could in 6 inch Manolo Blahniks. Christian took out his phone. "Dad, I want her back in jail and I want the word put out in the general prison population that she is a child molester. Yes, I know that I'm a son-of-a-bitch."

Elliot burst into Ana's room, his eyes lit with fear. "Kate's gone into labor, Chris. She's in horrible pain. They made me leave because she's screaming from a migraine. The baby is 2 weeks early….2 weeks!"

"Okay, El, take it easy. Two weeks early is nothing to worry about. The baby is fully developed and ready to be born. If Kate has a migraine, she may need a C-section. Go back there and advocate for your wife and child." Christian hugged his brother and reminded him that he was a Grey. Also, that Christian had read every book on pregnancy, in and out of print. Christian was pretty proud of himself and his expertise.

'I've got this', he smiled to himself. He beamed down at his beautiful Ana. "Don't worry, honey….you're in good hands." He was brimming with confidence. Ana was healthier, looking much more like herself. The baby was healthy, too. They could get past his massive screw-up. One of the nurses had told him that the monitors lit up when he returned to Ana's side after being gone a while. She loved him. She didn't hate him for his cruelty.

CHAPTER 22

Suddenly the monitors attached to Ana's baby bump came alive. Other monitors began to ring as well. Nurses ran into the room and shoved Grey into the hallway. Cold sweat rolled down his back. He wanted his mommy.

As if their brains were connected, Grace came running. "Your baby's coming. NOW. I'm sorry, Christian. Ana's is a special case so you can't be with her during the surgery. Go call your father and wait down the hall." Christian stood like a rock against the hallway wall. "Go, GO, Christian!" Grace pushed him along and he began to stumble away, away from Ana, away from their child. He felt dazed.

He called Carrick. "Dad, Ana's giving birth. I don't know what to do. Yeah, yeah. That's what Mom said. Your coming, right. You're coming now? Dad, she's early. Yeah, I know…that was always a possibility. Still, Ana isn't strong enough yet. She hasn't gained back all the weight. She's pale. Yeah, yeah….she's always pale. Dad, I hurt her so badly. Maybe even Ana can't forgive me. Yeah, she did say that she loved me. She did smile at me. The monitors blink when I come into the room. Dad, I'm scared to death. What should I do? Okay, okay…I'll wait for you. Oh, and here comes Elliot. God, he looks worse than me. Dad, get here soon. Only be careful. Maybe I should send Taylor. Dad? Dad? Christian looked at his phone and then at Elliot. "Dad just hung up on me!"

"You were probably driving him crazy, just like I did a few minutes ago. He's already on his way. What happened to calm, cool Christian?" Elliot laughed.

"Fuck off, El. How's Kate?"

"Sedated and having a C-section. Also, she hates me and says I'm never touching her again. She tried to bounce a bedpan off my brain! Women sure get crazy when they're giving birth. You don't think she meant it when she swore that I was never touching her again, do you

"Well, you aren't touching her for six weeks and that's sure going to feel like forever," grinned Christian, as he fell into a chair in a woozy heap. "They said that it'll be a while before Ana fully awakens from the sedation. God, I'm so tired, El. These last months have been crushing."

"And losing sleep is just beginning. Babies are up every two hours for feedings," Elliot reminded his brother."

"Oh, that doesn't bother me, El. I've always gotten along on a lot less sleep than Ana. I mean this whole ordeal started with Elena and was helped along by my raging stupidity. I feel like I haven't slept or even just rested since that night Ana left me. We'll have to talk about that and all I can think to say is 'sorry' over and over. Not an original thought in my head."

"Well, don't disappear again, Christian. Call me… a lot. Take _my_ calls. We're falling into the abyss of the great unknown. We need the bro-hood if we're going to survive this," said Elliot. Christian watched his usually easy-going, laissez-faire brother pace quickly up and down the waiting room, wringing his hands and running them through his thick, blonde hair. As he spoke to Christian, his eyes were large and anxious. The only other time that Grey had seen his brother close to this condition was the day he came home from Harvard to do battle with Elena Lincoln.

FLASHBACK\

Grace and Carrick had held a teleconference with Elliot as they discussed with Christian what Elena Lincoln had been doing to him for 4 years. Christian kept insisting that she was helping him, making a man out of him. Elliot listened, said nothing for a long while and finally informed his parents that he was catching the first plane home. Until then they were to keep Christian in his room. He warned Christian that if he tried to leave to see Elena, he'd soon learn that his older brother knew how to give a beating as bad as anything Elena could dream up. Seven hours later, Elliot stepped off a red-eye and rented a car to take him directly to Elena Lincoln's so-called mansion. When she opened the door, she was surprised to see Elliot. She did not yet know that the family had talked to her favorite pet. She smiled….a smile that quickly faded when she saw the look on Elliot's face. He pushed open the door and then slammed it behind him. He grabbed her arm and demanded that she show him the dungeon where she'd been torturing his little brother. There was no saying no to him. What he did to her in that dungeon he never disclosed. Nor did Elena. But no one saw her outside her home for weeks after.

He stopped at Grey Manor and calmly explained to Christian that what he and Elena had been doing was not right, was not good for him and that he had to promise that he would stop it. Christian couldn't say no to the older brother he adored and he couldn't lie. Elliot got back on a plane to Boston. Arrived at his apartment and spent several hours vomiting…over what he knew and over what he'd done. It was a long time before he recovered from saving Christian.

PRESENT/ "Agreed," said Christian, "the bro-hood. Tho' something tells me that I'll need it more than you."

"She threw a bedpan at me!" yelled Elliot.

Carrick Grey walked into the room and both of his sons ran to him, to be enveloped in his arms. They hadn't needed his hugs since they were little boys. It was amazing and it felt good. It was also a little difficult to get his arms around his big boys…and they were crushing him. He patted their backs and reassured them that everything would be okay. "Your mom's new housekeeper made sandwiches, soup and dessert. It's in the car. Are you hungry?"

Elliot's eyes lit up and off he went to collect his comfort food. Christian shrugged. Carrick took his arm and led him to a small sofa.

"Ana is so weak, Dad. How can she survive this? And there is nothing I can do." "Son, you rescued her, you rarely left her side since….and I'm sure she knows that you're with her. Her weight is up, all her vital signs have greatly improved, the baby is healthy and the team attending her, including your mother, has been preparing for this birth for months. Have a little faith."

Elliot ran back in with a basket of diversions and offered some to Christian, who declined. So, Elliot dove in. Carrick smiled lovingly at his eldest son….his goofy, uncomplicated, loving boy. He then turned to his second eldest and sighed.

"You'll know soon whether it's a boy or girl, Christian. Do you have a preference?"

"Yeah, alive. I don't want to know its gender until Ana wakes up and we can find out together. I told Mom to make sure no one lets on until then. After the hell she's been through, she deserves to know first. I just pray that she lets me help to raise my child."

"Christian, I've never known a gentler spirit, one more generous and loving than Ana. She'll never keep you from your child. You may have some patching up to do, but Ana will forgive you. She'll want her life with you back again," Carrick tried to reassure Christian. Christian looked to the chair next to them to gauge Ray's thinking. He sat stolid and staring ahead.

"Ray, do you think that Ana will forgive me?"

"I don't think that forgiveness is the problem, Christian," Ray responded. "Whether she'll ever trust you again"…..his voice wearily trailed off. "You haven't been there thru the worst of it. Something was changing in her mind. She could barely carry on a short conversation. She was so out of it most of the time. The doctor called it "baby brain" but I think it was more than that. She couldn't remember things and she had hallucinations. Several times I found her sitting with her suitcase by the front door 'waiting for her husband'. I'd tell her that you weren't coming and she'd say that you'd come if she got rid of the baby. Then she'd start crying, asking how could she kill a baby, her baby, your baby. "She'd cry for a while and then suddenly get very calm and tell me that it had been wonderful when you had loved her for a while. Then she'd pick up her suitcase and go back to her room. "So, I hope that her brain is okay but after watching her day by day, I don't know. I just don't know."

At the thought of Ana, sitting with her suitcase, waiting for him, and then being disappointed time and again, Christian buried his face in his hands to hide his tears.

A nurse appeared in the doorway of the waiting room. She spied Elliot stuffing his face with cherry pie and smiled. "You must be the father of our newest little boy. Would you like to come see him now?" With a crumb of pie hanging off his lip, Elliot jumped to his feet and ran after the nurse.

Carrick laughed, "You'd think that he was chasing down another pie." The wait for Christian was much longer. Periodically, a nurse would come in to tell him that his wife and child were doing 'as well as can be expected'. They never told Christian what it was that they 'expected'. Finally, Grace, her white coat smeared with blood, came calmly into the room, shaking her head at the mess that Elliot had left and then turned to Christian. Her heart ached for him….. so tired, so worn.

"Mom, is Ana alive?" Christian asked, his voice choking.

"It was a rough go for a while, dear. Things proceeded smoothly, like any other C-section. Your baby is in remarkably good condition considering and is currently resting in an incubator. It will have to remain here until the lungs are stable but your child will be fine."

"Mom, Ana?"

"Shortly after we removed the baby, Ana's heart shut down. It was as though she was just holding on until her baby was safe. It took a couple of minutes to get it going again on its own and another 30 minutes to stabliize her. We're confident that her heart has not sustained any permanent damage but we're keeping a close eye on her. She's being settled back in her room right now. "If you come with me, you can see your child."

"No, no, Mom. When Ana wakes up, we'll first see our child together. I'm going to her room to wait for her to wake. When…I mean…how long will it be, do you think?

"Maybe 30 minutes….." Grace started to say, when there was heard a blood-curdling scream from the other end of the corridor. While the others in the area stood in shock, Ray and Christian took off running to Ana's room. They recognized the scream from her nightmares. As they raced into her room, Ana was howling for her baby.

CHAPTER 23

"Please give me back my baby! Don't take my baby!" She had torn the IVs from her arms. Blood was running down. She was trying to climb out of her bed. Her eyes were wild with fear as she reached out with her arms. Christian, knowing that she might not believe him, pushed Ray forward. Ray took her face in his hands and forced her to look at him. "Your baby is safe, here in the hospital, just down the hall. She's alive and well but needs to be in an incubator. Look at me, Annie! Tell me what I just said," he pleaded. Ana was hyperventilating as she stared at Ray. "Safe, alive, incubator," she gasped. "Yes," Ray assured her, "that's right. She's very special and everyone is taking good care of her. I know you want to see her. You can do that."

Christian stared stunned at Ray. "I have a daughter? How did you know?"

"Annie knew. A mother's intuition, I guess," he smiled. Christian began to beam as Grace rushed into the room. "Mom, I want to see my daughter. Can I see her now? Can Ana and I go down to the incubator room?" Grace smiled at her son. "Ana, how about we clean up this blood, reattach your IVs and while I'm doing that, Christian can go get your daughter." Ana looked frightened and doubtful. She gazed intensely at Christian.

"You'll bring her right here. You won't leave with her, promise?" she asked as her eyes brimmed with fearful tears. Ana's suspicion that he would take her child from her tore into Christian's heart but he knew he deserved her lack of faith. "I promise," he swore, "on the depth of my love for you, Ana." He leaned over and kissed her hair. Then, unable to look into her eyes again, he left to get his little girl.

and Christian had been staring down at their daughter in awe for quite some time. At some point, Christian had taken Ana's hand. She had not rejected him. When he smiled at her, she smiled back. "So, you always knew that we were going to have a girl?," he teased. "I went to so much trouble to avoid knowing until you could know with me. I wanted us to meet our child together. You woke a little sooner than we expected. I'm sorry you were so frightened, Ana. I'm sorry that I made you think that I would steal her from you. I'm sorry that I said that I didn't want her. I was stupid. I was selfish. Mostly I was scared…scared that I wouldn't be #1 in your life anymore. All those nights when I came off the elevator and you would nearly knock me over leaping into my arms…no more. "How can I make you understand that I really didn't mean that I wouldn't want you or my daughter?" Christian squeezed Ana's hand as he begged her to hear him. "Ana?"

"I understand, Christian. It was my fault. I was too quick to take what you said to Elliot seriously. I should have known that you just needed time to adjust but I didn't give you that time. All my fault," Ana nodded her head over and over as she spoke in a deadly monotone.

Christian looked at his wife in despair. Something wasn't right. "No, Ana. Nothing is your fault. Nothing. Sweetheart, look at me, please." Slowly, Ana turned her face in his direction but she did not meet his eyes. Gently, he reached out and lifted her chin. With her eyes looking into his, he repeated himself. "Nothing is your fault, my love. I failed you. I violated our vows…my vow to always protect you. That first night, when I followed you home because you were alone, running in the rain and the dark...I never intended to stay. I was worried that you were alone, had no peephole in your door, were soaking wet. Even after having the best night of my life, I didn't think of myself as your lover. My first instinct was just to protect you. "I think that is one of the reasons why I fell apart when you left me. I couldn't take care of you anymore. I honored your request to leave you alone to go on with your life. I felt that I had nothing. I worried about you 24/7. I imagined a million awful scenarios where you needed help and I couldn't get to you. It wasn't until I showed up at Ray's that I realized how ill you were all those months and I wasn't there for you. "I can't apologize enough for letting you down, Ana. I don't think that I'll ever be able to forgive myself for failing you. I love you so, so much and I will try my hardest to earn back your trust and forgiveness. All I want is you and our daughter to come home.

"Ana, will you come home to me? All on your terms. Anyway you want it. Just please come home to me." Christian's eyes were watery. He was pale and Ana saw that he was afraid that she would say no. She didn't want to hurt him but she wondered if she could trust him. As she was mulling this over, Ray spoke up.

"Annie, Christian has asked me to move in for a while, to help with the baby. Is that okay with you?" Ray's voice was calm and tender. Ana looked up at her daddy. He'd never let her down. "All right, Christian…but I won't leave here until we can take Macy with us."

"Macy? We never discussed names," said a startled Christian.

"I named her Madeline Christian long ago…never dreaming we'd be going back to Escala. Macy is a nickname. Do you hate it, Christian?"

"No, I guess I was thinking Phoebe but I really like Madeline. Why Christian. tho'?"

"Believing that you'd never meet, I needed to give our daughter something of you and your name was all I had left." Tears formed in Ana's sweet blue eyes and Christian couldn't stop himself from finally embracing his wife. He'd held off because he didn't know if she'd want him to touch her but his protective instincts toward her won out. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and buried his face in her shoulder, while rocking her soothingly. After some time, he whispered, "Never apologize to me, Ana, never. You gave me a life, love and a beautiful daughter. I will be indebted to you for the rest of my life. All I want to do is love and care for you. Please let me."

Ana began to cry as the dam inside of her burst. All the months of being brave and stoic…believing that she would always be on her own. She curled into Christian's chest as his arms held her more closely. She so wanted to believe him. He was warm and strong and Ana remembered what it felt like to feel safe and protected. She, too, remembered how she felt at 4:55 pm….giddy with the joy of Christian's imminent arrival. When the elevator bell pinged, she couldn't help herself. She'd squeal with glee and run to him, throwing herself into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist and smashing her mouth into his. With one arm holding her around her waist and his other hand at the back of her head, they would kiss deeply and madly, not even realizing how they made to the bedroom.

They never, _could_ never, get enough of each other. It all seemed like a dream now….a dream that was over. Had she awakened?, Ana wondered. Her thinking was fuzzy and confused. Her heart hurt and she didn't know sometimes what was real. All those times she waited at Ray's front door, convinced that tonight Christian would come to take her home but he didn't and suddenly she would know that she'd just imagined his arrival. But it had seemed so real. And now this, this moment, seemed so real, too. Her head began to hurt so badly that it seemed as thought it was being hit with a hammer. She cried out and pressed her hands to her temples. Christian called for a nurse, Ray tried to talk to Ana, Macy began to cry. And then Ana melted into darkness.

CHAPTER 24

Slowly light appeared to Ana. As she attempted to orient herself, she heard a small quavering whimper and Christian's voice whispering…."Shhh…Madeline. Let Mommy sleep, sweetie." Ana looked down at a small bundle in her arms. As her eyes adjusted to the dawn, she felt herself tucked back into the chest of her husband as he lay with her on the bed. A nurse entered the room and informed Christian that Macy's short hiatus from the incubator was over. Ana watched as her baby was removed from her arms and redeposited into the tiny, glassed-in cot by the side of her own bed. She heard Christian asking if Macy could stay with them so that Ana could see her baby when she woke. The nurse smiled and indicated that Ana was already awake and yes, the incubator could stay for a while. Christian leaned down and kissed the top of Ana's head as he told her softly that he loved her.

"Ray went back to Escala to get some rest. He'll be back later. Unless you need him right now. He said to call if you did." Christian held his breath, hoping that Ana would be comfortable with just him. _Please say no. Please be okay alone with me._

Ana leaned forward with Christian's help and studied her baby. "She is so small, so small. Is she really all right, Christian?" "Yes, baby. The doctor was in earlier and said that she is a miracle baby. He said that somehow you gave her everything you had so that she could survive even if you didn't. And you almost didn't. Your heart stopped for 2 minutes right after the surgery. Mom didn't tell me until later, thank goodness, or my heart would have stopped, too. But Macy is perfect."

"When can I hold her again?"

"An hour ago, you demanded to hold her and to my amazement, they took her out of the incubator and handed her to you. You were pretty out of it after that headache so you probably don't remember. Do you?" Christian asked, watching her closely.

"Is that why I don't remember? But I felt her in my arms when I woke. It was only for a few minutes, tho? I want her back." Ana insisted.

"We have to be patient, Ana," Christian cautioned. "Her tiny lungs still need help to grow and stabliize. Soon, she'll be strong enough to scream," he laughed. "Then you might miss the days when she could only make wee cries."

Ana smiled. "Okay, I'll try to be patient. You'll ask about when we can go home?"

"Yes, I will. I was wondering about hiring a nurse for a while. You've been so ill, so weak. I'd like you to have some one to help so you can rest and get healthier. What do you think?"

"I don't think that I want a stranger near Macy, Christian. That would scare me."

"Okay, okay. We'll make do. I've made Ros CEO while I take a step back from GEH for a paternity leave. And, of course, we'll have Mrs. Jones. The three of us, along with my mother and sister, should manage. Is that fine with you?"

Again, Christian was nervous. What if she didn't want him, much less anyone else, near Macy? "You took time off work?" Ana asked, with amazement in her voice. Her expression pleased Christian so. Yes, he answered, with a giant grin. His baby was no longer GEH. It was Madeline Christian and he wanted to spend as much time as possible raising her. Ana said nothing more and now Christian worried that she disapproved but he didn't have the guts to ask. It was a good thing he didn't because while Ana was surprised, she wasn't pleased. She was fearful and confused. She couldn't explain it to herself either. Christian seemed to be crazy about the baby. Or maybe staying home with her was a way to keep an eye on Ana or to keep her out of the way so he could give the baby away. He could lie to her and say that while she took a nap, Macy had gotten sick and died. No, no. That was nuts. Christian wasn't like that. God, her head hurt so much and the darkness closed in again.

Ray and Christian sat together at the breakfast bar, watching Ana and Macy rocking as they gazed out the floor to ceiling windows in the great room.

"How do you think it's been going, Christian?"

"Well, we've been home a month. Ana's health is good and so is Madeline's. I'm still persona non grata…..exactly as I deserve, I guess. Last night I heard Macy waken so I heated a bottle and I sat down in the rocker to feed her so that Ana could sleep. I was really enjoying Macy when I heard Ana behind me. Before I could say anything, Ana begged me to not hurt my daughter."

FLASHBACK\

"She's only a baby. She can't defend herself. Please don't hurt her," Ana implored in a quavering and terrified voice.

PRESENT/

"Geez," commented Ray, "that's what she thinks?"

"I suspect that she had just awakened from a nightmare. I got up with Macy and with one arm around Ana, I walked us back into our bedroom and I held Ana while she held the baby. Ana was okay then."

"Christian, Macy is going on 2 months now. I think it's time to get some therapy for my Annie. She's still not dealing with reality. And she has to start being a wife and mother without my being a cushion between you."

"My mother has someone in mind. Perhaps if you and I talk with Ana together, she'll agree."

"No, Christian. It's time for me to stop being Annie's daddy and go back to being Dad. You and Grace talk with her. Be firm. Don't be afraid of upsetting her or of her leaving, okay? Start acting like her husband and that baby's father. You don't need to keep atoning," asserted Ray. He patted his son-in-law's shoulder and then wandered over to Annie's chair. Christian could guess from Ana's reaction that Ray was saying goodbye. She dropped her head and began to weep. Ray kissed her cheek and Macy's and walked away. It was time for Christian to step up. Nervously, he walked over to Ana. He knelt before her and squeezed her hand.

"Your father has to get back to his life, Ana. He wouldn't leave, you know, if he didn't trust me, if he didn't believe that you're safe with me." With tears still streaming down her face, Ana nodded. Did she agree or was she trying to be understanding? Christian didn't know which or both. He took her hand in both of his and kissed it. Then he leaned up and kissed her soft lips. He wanted her so. It had been a long time and he didn't know if she even wanted him anymore. Sex had been at the core of their relationship once. Being as close as possible meant everything to them. They'd always needed to be connected. When Ana came home from the hospital, she lay Macy in her crib. Then she crossed the hallway and went into their bath to take a shower. She donned one of Christian's t-shirts, like always, and climbed into her side of the bed and went right to sleep. Christian was thrilled. He'd expected her to choose a room of her own. They slept like always….curled up together…but he didn't dare push beyond that.

Still, he missed her touch. He missed the wild passion they had always had together. And he missed their talks, their banter at the breakfast bar, their little fights in the car on the way to SIP. They made up over texts and emails and when they met up for lunch, they made out in the car on the way to the restaurant. He suspected the fights were just a way to deal with having to separate. He remembered back to their first time together and how unexpected it was. The sex itself and then his need to keep seeing her. It made him uneasy but he couldn't stop himself. He told himself that it was to protect her….from her mother, from Elena, from unsafe living conditions….anything but the truth. And, when the truth did come out, when he proposed, he tried to make excuses for it. Even to himself he could not admit that he loved her.

Now, as he knelt before his wife and child, he wondered. "Ana, when I coerced you into marrying me, did you know that I loved you even then?"

"Yes, you made a joke of it and I didn't have the courage to call you on it. I was afraid that if I confronted you, you'd try to back out."

"And you, when did you realize that you loved me?"

Ana was silent for a long while….until she smiled. "When I came out of the bathroom and found you trying to fix the thermostat. Everything inside me melted. I stood like a statue while you began making love to me. I was overwhelmed. I almost said it then.

"I want us back, Ana. I want my wife. I want my lover. I want my best friend. For months, the loneliness has been wearing me down. I can't go back to that empty life I lived before you. I was fading away before my family intervened. But, Ana, I will give you whatever it is you want…even if you decide to stay just for the sake of Madeline, I'll do everything I can to make you both happy. I'll never ask of you anything you can't give. I promise that you'll always be safe and loved. "And, Ana, you and only you will always have my heart. I'll never pressure you but I'll never give up hope that you might be my Ana again."

It was 3 in the morning. Ana had just returned to bed after feeding Macy. Now she lay next to her husband, studying his visage. He was still breathtakingly handsome, even more so when he was relaxed in sleep, and, she knew, sleeping with her. All she need do was shift her body, stirring his subconscious. Then he would pull her close, his nose nuzzling her hair, a great contented sigh from his beautiful chest. She did feel safe, here with him. She knew he desired her but he was a man with practiced control over his body, courtesy of Elena Lincoln and her canes. He would never take her against her will. Sometimes, she wished that he would just take her as he had that first time. Surely, she desired him as much as he desired her. In his sleep, she could feel his erection. In the heat of his eyes, as he watched her feed Macy, she could feel his need. Could he feel hers?

She knew that Christian could feel her fear…tho' he didn't understand all of it. He didn't hear the screaming in her head when he picked up her daughter from her crib, cradling her tiny body in his strong hands and singing softly to her. After he'd set Macy down and gone to his study, he couldn't see Ana desperately examining the baby for signs of injury…bruises, scratches. Sometimes she even checked for indications that this baby was indeed Madeline Christian and not a substitution. Yes, she knew her thinking was crazy and the terror inside her was unjustified but it didn't matter. To her, it felt real. When Christian held Macy in the great room, looking out at the sunset over Seattle, Ana almost wept with fear that her husband would toss his tiny daughter off the balcony. She would rush across the room and hold out her arms, begging him to return Macy to her mother. What must Christian have thought of the panic on Ana's face, the trembling of her hands as she grabbed Macy? She saw the hurt but she was helpless to stop herself. She didn't know that Christian could see her reflection, her terror, in the window. She loved Christian. She knew they were safe with him. Macy knew it. She would coo so sweetly and look up at her daddy, smiling as he sang to her. What is wrong with me, Ana thought?

CHAPTER 25

Sunday brunch with the Greys was hell for Ana. Everyone wanted to pass the babies around. Ana could see the love for Joe and Macy and for her. They were so gentle with her, so kind. Kate and Elliot loved the break from baby care but Christian hovered and Ana clasped Macy to her. She tried so hard to share her daughter. She felt such guilt for neglecting to do so but she feared that everyone was in on a plot with Christian to harm the baby or take her for themselves. Carrick would sit on the sofa with Macy, staring at her with wonder. Ana would sit nearby with Christian. He would put his arm around her, hold her hand tightly, kiss her temple repeatedly…offering all the reassurance he could. He could feel her shivering as she fought the urge to grab Macy and run. His heart broke for her. He knew the entire visit was terribly hard on her. He was proud of her courage.

He politely lifted his daughter from his father's arms and returned her to Ana. Ana looked up at her husband with gratitude and teary eyes. "Ana, would you come with me and Mom for a bit? We need to talk with you." Grace led the couple into Carrick's office and invited them to sit together on the couch. "Ana, dear….have you any idea how much this family loves you? Christian, of course, but all of us very, very much. And we're all worried about you. We know that you've been through an ordeal since discovering that you were pregnant….feeling deserted by your husband, the pregnancy from hell, being so ill…..Grace trailed off. "Your father, Christian and I are concerned that it's all been too much for you, esp. the hypergravidarum. We'd like you to consider therapy. I know a very good psychologist, experienced in the field of post-partum blues."

Grace leaned over and took Ana's hand. "We know that you're trying so hard to be a good mother…so, do this for Macy. She needs a happy, relaxed mommy. Christian, you know, has been going to therapy with John Flynn for many months now and it's helped him tremendously. Will you consider it, Ana?"

"I'm a bad mother. I'm crazy," wept Ana.

Christian lifted Ana up and settled her and Macy on his lap, cradling them. "You are a wonderful mother, Ana. And you're not crazy. You've just been sick for a long time and now you need some help getting well, just like I do. I'm right there with you, honey. Will you give it a try?"

"I'm just so scared all of the time, Christian, and mixed-up. I have such weird ideas in my head and even tho' I know they're weird, I still believe them. I don't want to be crazy anymore," cried Ana. Christian nodded at his mother and Grace patted Ana's hand. She got up to make the phone call she hoped would set Ana on the road to recovery.

The first session with Dr. Field didn't go so well. The doctor requested that Christian hold the baby in the outer room while she talked with Ana so that there would be no interruptions. That lasted about 5 minutes before the door flew open and a hyperventilating Ana flew out to take Macy from her husband's arms. Dr. Field was patient, however. She scheduled another session and prescribed a valium for Ana to take before arriving. This time Ana lasted almost ten minutes. But Dr. Field persevered, session after session. Each time Ana lasted a bit longer until she got to the point where she could begin to talk instead of breaking a sweat and fleeing the room. The first time that she didn't fly out of the door after 30 minutes, it was Christian who caved and knocked softly on the doctor's door, asking if Ana was all right. Yes, Ana called to him. Dr. Field smiled.

"He is quite protective, isn't he? Does his over-the-top worry for you bother you?" she inquired. Ana looked surprised. She was used to Christian's ways and never thought of him as overly protective. "Is he?" she asked. "Macy and I are all the world to him as they are to me," smiled Ana. "Let's continue then. We have 30 minutes left. You were telling me about your irrational fears." "Yes, when Macy was born, my fears seemed sensible, necessary. But I'm beginning to see that they are not. Once, I thought that Christian would hurt her, even toss her off the balcony. In the light of day, I understand how insane that is but at home, alone, watching him show her the sunset…..it seems real. How do I overcome these thoughts, Dr. Field?" "Well, it is a good first step that you recognize the insensibility of these fears but, unfortunately, recognition does not always translate into change of behavior in an anxious mind. Whenever you get these fears, recognizing them immediately as irrational will help but it will still take some time to rid your mind of them entirely. They are habitual. Perhaps when you think that you see your husband about to harm your daughter, you could turn and walk away. That would be very difficult…at first…but would gradually become the norm. Ana and Dr. Field taked some about her other fears. They discussed the chaos in her head and how to deal with it. They even touched upon Ana's reluctance to resume her sex life with Christian….to be continued, said Dr. Field, though privately she very unprofessionally wondered how Ana could keep her hands off her Adonis husband.

The first hour that Christian relaxed, holding his daughter while reading Tech Today and Ana spent the entire hour talking with Dr. Field was a red letter day. They celebrated by walking along the marina with Macy wrapped in a sling around Christian and Ana wrapped in her husband's arm. Of course, there were steps backward. Significantly, the night Christian took Macy into the study with him while Ana took a shower. Seattle was having a terrific thunder and lightning storm and there were sporadic outrages. Ana thought Macy was in her crib but she wasn't. Ana imagined the balcony door was open. The crazy in her head built until she believed that Christian could no longer live without sex so he had "left the building" so-to-speak, taking Macy with him. Ana fell to the floor, howling with pain and was just about to leave the building herself when Christian rushed in with Macy in his arms. He closed and locked the balcony doors and then fell to the floor. He quickly transferred the sling from himself to Ana, though he wondered actually about the wisdom of exposing a baby to a hysterical woman.

"Ana, you have to stop screaming. You'll terrify your daughter. Stop or I'll have to put her in her crib and take you out of here." The fact that Macy was beginning to fuss convinced Ana to take deep breaths as the doctor had shown her. Within a few minutes, she was quiet.

"You didn't jump off the balcony with Macy because I don't have sex with you?" she asked in a small voice. "I imagined that, didn't I?"

Yes," Christian couldn't help but chuckle, "you sure did. I promise that before I jump I'll leave Macy in her crib."

"Don't laugh, Christian, you haven't had sex in almost a year. How does a man as insatiable as you manage to stay sane."

"I'm only insatiable for you anymore, Ana, and I'll wait as long as it takes. I get to hold you every night and right now, that's enough for me."

Ana stood up and put Macy in her crib. Then she reached down for Christian's hand and pulled him along with her to the bedroom. She pushed him down onto the bed and began undoing his pants. Christian said nothing, too stunned to react. Ana pulled off his pants, his shoes and socks and his shirt until there was only his boxers. She knelt before him and pulled his boxers down, his erection bouncing out. "Oh, Ana," he groaned. "You don't have to do this." She didn't believe him. His head was thrown back and his hands gripped the sheets as Ana sucked on his tip. Then she twirled her tongue down and back up again several times until she pulled his dick to the back of her throat, sucking hard until Christian screamed her name and poured hot cum down her throat. There was a lot of it. He was truly backed up.

She'd always loved watching him come apart. She felt powerful and she so needed to feel strong. He was hard again. Christian was always fast to recover. But he sat up and held her head. "Oh, Ana, if you do that again, I'll break into a million pieces," he grinned. "I want to reciprocate. Is that okay with you?" She shyly nodded yes and allowed Christian to undress her and spread her legs, curling them around his back. He simply stared for a while and then began to do all the things that used to have Ana screaming his name within minutes. He nuzzled her folds. He licked and sucked her clit. He put his tongue inside her. He put his fingers inside her, massaging until he found her g-spot. Finally, he leaned up and kissed her with everything in him, taking her screams of pleasure. Then, gently, he slipped inside her, inside home. He tried to go slowly but her cries for "harder, faster" and his need to be as deep as possible drove him to pound into her like a madman until they both came…screaming each other's names.

As they always had, he enveloped her in his arms and legs and, his dick still deep within her, he rolled them unto their sides. "May I stay?" he asked politely. "Yes, you may, good sir," Ana giggled. Christian beamed. It had been so long since he'd heard that giggle. Then he began to cry. Ana was alarmed.

"Christian, Christian, what's wrong? Is it me? I'm fine, great even. Christian?"

Ana, Ana. I've needed you. I've missed you for so long. Twice in my life I've lost you. Twice I've barely gotten you back. Don't leave me again. I can't stand an existence without you. I couldn't go on without you. One more time would truly end me."

"No, no, Christian. I won't ever leave you again. I won't let you leave me either, no matter how big an arse you are." Christian laughed through his tears.

"I _can_ be an awfully big arse but I'll never make that mistake again. And I'll never let you leave me. I'll stalk you to the ends of the earth no matter how you beg me to let you be." He couldn't seem to hold her close enough. "Baby, baby, I love you so….my world, my world," he murmured. Finally he began to breathe evenly. Ana touched her forehead to his. Somehow she knew that the worst was over.

CHAPTER 26

At Sunday brunch, everyone noticed the difference in Ana and Christian. Ana seemed relaxed, allowing everyone to hold Macy. Christian, on the other hand, never stopped touching his wife. Ana scooped up Joe and sat on the porch cuddling him, laughing with Kate, while Christian kept his arm around Ana. Grace and Carrick gazed at each other with contentment; the therapy was working. Their children were happy again. There was only one fly in their ointment and they decided to put off revealing it as long as possible. Elena. Out-on-bail-Elena. Elena had other ideas. She was the last possible dinner guest they could think would show at their door. Martina, the housekeeper, rushed into the great room, just a few steps ahead of Elena. She didn't even have time to announce her.

"So, that's the brat that sent me to jail, eh?"

Mia clutched Macy to her chest and screamed for Christian who came running from the porch. Elena was quite intoxicated. Christian handed Macy to Ana and stood like a brick wall in front of her.

"Let's keep our voices calm. Let's not disturb the children."

"Oh, don't worry, bro. I can strangle her quietly," snarled Elliot, as he blocked Kate and Joe.

"Oh, such drama! I just dropped by for a little visit. I've missed our dinners together. Haven't you missed me, just a little?" Elena made a tiny gesture with her thumb and forefinger. No one said a word. "I've been away a while, you see. I had been granted probation due to the teensiness of the "crime" but then it mysteriously went away. I had to serve out my sentence in solitary due to the gen pop learning that I was accused of pedophilia. An awful lot for someone so innocent to suffer, wouldn't you say?"

"Why did you come here, Elena?" demanded Christian.

"I felt that I was due an apology for a decade of abuse. I did nothing but offer this family my friendship. I saved Christian from his own ruination and yet time after time I was made to pay for my good deeds. I am also in need of funds. My salons are going bankrupt. There are two mortgages on my home and liens against the house. There is an eviction notice tacked to the front door giving me one week to get out."

"And why the hell should we do_ anything_ for you after what you've put this family through?" growled Elliot. "_I_ looked into your finances. _I_ bought the notes to your house. Maintenance has been neglected for a long time. It isn't worth saving so I'm having it demolished. Kate and I are going to save the land and in a couple of years, we'll build a home for ourselves….right between Kate's folks and mine. And we'll try to forget that you, Elena, ever existed."

"AAAHHHHH!" Elena howled as she lunged for Elliot, grabbing a knife from the counter as she did so. She managed to stab him in his arm before Kate cracked a wine bottle over her head.

"Kate!" scolded Elliot, "that was a_ good_ year. Hit her with the cheap stuff."

Elena fell on the couch, groaning. "Damn, now we'll have to drive her home," complained Carrick. Grace scowled. "Worse. This could be serious. Carrick get the car. My son is bleeding and Elena could have a concussion from falling against the kitchen counter."

The family stared at their saintly mother with raised eyebrows. She merely smirked back at them. "I'll go with you, Grace. You shouldn't be alone with her," offered Ana.

"The hell you will!" objected Christian. "Have you forgotten that she wants you dead? Neither of you is going with her. No one from this family is going with her. I'll call an ambulance. No argument." "Meanwhile, take some of the blood off the bottle and smear it on the counter edge. I'm going to take a little boat ride down the Sound.

Twenty minutes later Elena was gone again and the bottle was at the bottom of the bay. Elena was conscious and she was going to sue and Carrick laughed. The police questioned the innocent-looking family and concluded that, yes, Elena had slipped drunkenly and cracked her head on the counter. She swore that she'd been cold-cocked with a bottle but in her drunken condition, no one believed her.

"You bought that place, El?" questioned Christian incredulously. "Be certain to do a deep excavation. Leave no sign of her dungeon. In fact, I'm not crazy at all about you doing this. You've set yourself right in her crosshairs. She'll be looking for payback for the rest of her life. It's bad enough that she wants to hurt Ana and Madeline, Mom and Dad. You build that house….it goes up in flames before you move in. That wasn't a smart move, Elliot."

"Maybe not but it was fun. Besides, you have so many CPOs on my family, how would she get near me?"

"This place is crawling with coverts and she walked right in the front door. Take nothing for granted, El." Grace was patching up Elliot's wound, concluding that he needed stitches. Again, she told Carrick to get the car. "Christian, you stay here with the girls and the babies. Kate will come with me. I hope that bitch gets denied bail this time. Carrick, that looked like attempted murder to me, didn't it to you?"

"Sweetie, promise me that when we get to the hospital, you won't try to poison Elena, okay?" begged Carrick.

"She tried to kill my son, Cary!"

"And failed. Remember that, Grace. Now let's get moving."

Later, Mia sat with Joe on her lap, sighing dramatically. Christian sat with his arm around Ana, who held Macy, all the while wondering if Mia would catch on if they went upstairs to put Macy down for a nap. Yeah, he thought, 5 minutes in and she'd get bored and come looking for them. He tried to signal Ana to get a headache that required going home but she refused to catch on. He cursed his libido…at least the one that came along with being madly in love with his wife. It had been a long day already, even before Elena made her appearance. Macy had been finicky and had kept Ana up most of the night. And if Ana was up, Christian couldn't sleep either. Elliot would talk about Kate being up several times a night with Joe but he himself could sleep through anything. Christian didn't understand that. He needed Ana in his arms or he lay in bed staring at the ceiling.

They probably should have skipped Sunday brunch. Grace had suggested that they bring Macy to Grey Manor and then go home for a rest but Ana hadn't yet reached that comfort level. He noticed that Ana seemed to be drifting off.

"Mia, Ana didn't get much sleep last night. For that matter, none of us did. Macy was fussy all night. I'm going to take them upstairs for a nap."

"Oh, baloney, Christian. You just want to get Ana into bed," Mia pouted, "leaving me all alone down here."

"Look at Ana," whispered Christian. Mia had to concede that Ana was half-asleep. "After I get them settled in, I'll come back down to keep you company, okay?" "Okay. It would be nice to have my brother to myself for a little bit," smiled Mia. "I've missed talking to you and I'm still a little rattled by Elena's visit." Christian lifted Ana in his arms while she held Macy. Cradling them close, he climbed the stairs to the bedroom. He lay Ana on the bed and then took Macy from her and put the baby into the crib. He then lifted Ana and pulled down the covers. He undressed her carefully to avoid awakening her. Before covering her, he looked at her stomach. Where Macy once grew was now a small bump and a scar that distressed Ana. He kept telling her that he loved it. Ana kept doing crunches. He smiled, leaned down, kissed her tummy and then pulled up the covers. He stood for a moment, just watching his wife breathe. Sometimes…no..often actually, the feelings he had for her threatened to overwhelm him. He kissed her soft lips, kissed his daughter and reluctantly closed the door behind him as he headed downstairs.

"At last, geez, I thought you weren't coming back," whined Mia. She had always been her brother's favorite and, despite her love for Ana, she was jealous and didn't like being in second place.

"I can't stay long, Mia," Christian apologized. "Ana will realize that I'm not with her and will wake and panic."

"I thought she was in therapy for that," grumbled Mia.

"Well, she is and it's helped a lot with her issues but she may never be the same entirely. She went through too much."

"And you blame yourself, don't you? You shouldn't, you know," chided Mia.

"Actually, I will probably always wonder how much easier she might have had it if I'd been there. Dr. Flynn says that her ordeal affected her mind and that I couldn't have done anything about the 24/7 sickness but still…."

"Well, you should listen to him. You don't need to devote yourself to Ana so much."

"Oh, that isn't why, Mia. I _need_ to be with her as much as possible. I _need_ to be touching her. Without her, I feel lost, adrift. She's my anchor to the world and reality. Do you understand?"

"Maybe if I fall in love someday, I'll get it, but right now it just seems obsessive. Elliot and Kate aren't like you and they love each other. Maybe you and Ana should learn to go your own ways a bit more."

"I hear Macy. Ana will be aware in a minute. I'm sorry, Mia, but I have to go," Christian hugged his sister and left her sulking on the couch. Christian didn't hear Macy but he knew that Ana would be stirring soon, either because she sensed his absence or was having a nightmare….the same one in which her mother came for her. Ryan had been keeping tabs on Carla. They knew that she was working in a bar and had a male companion. That was the good news. The bad news was that she told the guy that she had a rich daughter with whom she was quite close. Christian awaited some sort of blackmail or ransom request. He'd thought about contacting her through his attorneys, offering her a living wage and moving her away from her boyfriend but she'd only blab to someone else.

As he entered the room, he found Ana moving restlessly and whimpering. He quickly undressed and got into bed with her, pulling her into his arms and murmuring that he loved her. She almost immediately calmed down, smiling slightly and curling tightly against him. They both fell into a deep sleep. Meanwhile, Mia was downstairs, pacing irritably while Joe slept in his basket. It was only his presence that kept her from cussing out loud. Mia could be a very sweet sister and she adored her brothers but she was used to being the baby of the family, the favored one, and Christian had always been her protector. She was the only one he hugged. He would give her anything she wanted even as their parents warned against spoiling her. He'd given her a black Amex card with no limit. He'd given her an Audi…three, in fact…since she'd wrecked the first two. He'd offered to give her an apartment at Escala but she preferred to stay home with mommy and daddy and the maid and the cook and the laundress.

CHAPTER 27

Mia was now 20. After high school, she'd persuaded Christian to send her to France for a year to attend the Cordon Bleu and for_ her personal growth_. The only thing she grew was her wardrobe. Now she was home and bored…wondering what to ask for next. She slept late, lunched with friends, shopped all afternoon and went clubbing all night. She found it irritating that so many of her crowd now had jobs…which interfered with her need for company. Occasionally she became interested in a boy but it never lasted. They wouldn't tolerate her spoiled attitude and she found them to be demanding, unwilling to listen to her blather for hours. Mia, thus, was becoming restless and in even more need of attention. Her growing need clashed with the distance she felt from Christian. She was no longer his pet. He'd even been encouraging Mia to _find herself_! What balderash! There was nothing wrong with her. The problem was everyone else going all to pieces over Ana. After she'd been a member of the family all of her life, Ana comes in out of nowhere and and suddenly she's the golden child. It was wrong. Mia needed to right matters.

Upstairs, Christian gently kissed his wife and watched her eyes open. She smiled at him. "You made my mother go away." "Always, baby. Ready to go home. I don't know when the rest of the family will be back and we need to get more rest. I'll get Macy ready to go while you get dressed. Hey, let's go out on the boat next weekend instead…just the three of us. Okay?" Ana threw her arms around Christian's neck and hugged him hard.

"Okay. And I love you." Mia was not pleased about them leaving, complaining about being left with Joe. They offered to take him with them but that didn't suit her martyr complex at the moment.

Monday morning…. again. Christian had cut back his hours to nothing, then a few and then half days for months until Ana's doctors had cleared her. They hadn't thought to clear Christian. He was supposed to be the sane one but he'd often felt crazier than Ana. He couldn't stand to be without her all day. He worried about her. He missed her so badly. He texted and called many times a day. She'd tell him that she missed him but it was more than that. She was still on shaky ground. Tho' she knew he loved her, needed her, there was a tender, frightened part of her deep inside that still felt his words to Elliot, that remembered all the months without him, that was terrified that he wasn't coming home. The moment the elevator doors closed between them, she began to grow anxious. By 4 p.m. she was shivering. She told herself that he would be home like always but by the time the elevator pinged at 5:00, she was quaking and only his arms enveloping her tightly could set her at ease. That she was scared all day that he would leave her didn't make sense she knew but her brain was still mixed up.

When he did get home, the first thing he did was pick her up and carry her into the bedroom. He needed so much to make love to her, to be buried deep inside her, to be truly home. He didn't think anything could make up for almost a year without her. Why she thought that he'd ever leave her baffled him. Mia called him obsessive. Well, okay then, he was obsessed with Ana and always would be. She gave him Macy. She gave him herself. She gave him everything worth having.

The ping of the elevator alerted Mrs. Jones that Mr. Grey had arrived home early. She was relieved for Ana's sake. It was only 3:30 and that meant that Ana had 1 ½ hours less to miss him. Gail was surprised, therefore, to find Mia strolling into the great room.

"Hi, Gail, is my brother home yet?"

"Ah, no. I'm not expecting him 'til 5. Did you need to see him, Mia?"

"Not really. I was out shopping and I thought I'd drop in for a visit. Where's Ana?"

"She and Macy are in the bath but they should be out soon. I'll let you know, okay?"

"Great, I'll read for a while." Mia looked around for a fashion magazine and found only books and investment journals. Blech, she thought.

Gail watched her and felt alarmed. She couldn't identify why exactly. It was just that Mia seemed different. Twitchy. There was a sense of anger emanating from her even as she smiled. It made Gail nervous, so nervous that she took the unusual step of having Ryan open up the audio/video serveilence in Macy's room. That would normally be considered an invasion of privacy but Ryan trusted Gail's intuition.

"Mia, come on in. I'm just dressing Macy after our bath," Ana called out. Mia found Ana finishing with Macy's dressing and then beginning to nurse her. Good, thought Mia. She'll have to sit still while I have my say.

"Ana, I've come to talk to you about Christian. I'm concerned about the demands that you put on him….innocently, of course."

Ana looked up at Mia with confusion. "What demands are you talking about, Mia?"

"Now we all understand that you've been ill for a long time and that you haven't been thinking straight. You don't comprehend what you've been doing to Christian and, of course, he'd never tell you. He'll want to protect you at any cost to himself. But last Sunday I saw first hand how anxious he is these days, even jumpy. He is constantly beside himself with trying to care for you. He can't spend more than a short while away from you without worrying about you or what you might do to accidentally harm your daughter."

"I'd never harm my daughter!"

"No, not intentionally, but you could easily do so without thinking. I heard your therapist talking to Christian," Mia lied, "and she warned him to keep a close eye on you, to have someone watching you at all times. I know that you love him but do you want him to spend his life like this?" Mia continued on in this vein for some time. Her words were clever and cold. Ana's thoughts became chaotic and fearful. She was hurting Christian and could hurt Macy. She became very cold. The balcony door was open and the early evening breeze chilled Ana's skin. Mia took Macy from her arms and put her into the crib, covering her with a duvet.

"You see, Ana, you let Macy get cold. She could have gotten sick," Mia scolded.

"I didn't mean to open the door, Mia," Ana said as she began to cry. Mia smirked. She had Ana so under her control now that even tho' Mia had opened the door right in front of her, she made Ana think she'd opened it.

"Of course, you didn't. You just didn't know. Perhaps you ought to close it now." Ana stumbled over to the balcony. She stopped to lean against the door to keep her balance. Mia suggested that she go out onto the balcony and look over the railing, to see how far down she might potentially have dropped Macy. That horrible thought shook Ana even more and she struggled to hold to the railing. As she looked over, she grew dizzy and weak.

Just then the door Mia had locked behind her burst open. Ryan raced across the room in time to grab Ana as she leaned out over the railing, the two falling onto the floor. Tears fell from her eyes even as she seemed zoned out. She simply lay on the floor, staring into space. Sawyer had followed him into the room, then blocked Mia's exit. They heard a commotion in the hallway as Christian entered. All he knew was that Gail had called him to come home immediately. Now he saw his wife's CPO restraining his little sister and his daughter's CPO kneeling over his wife's unresponsive body.

"What the hell? Ryan?"

"Mrs. Grey is physically all right, sir, but seems to be in some kind of stupor."

"Where is Macy? Christian's voice was shaky.

"It's okay, sir. She's napping in her crib," Sawyer reassured him.

"Taylor?" called out Christian.

"Matters are being attended to, sir. Please just concentrate on your wife."

She's soaked and trembling. I'm going to give her a hot shower. Get my parents over here."

At that, Christian lifted Ana and carried her into the bathroom. He stripped off her wet robe and set her down on the bench while he undressed. Then he held her under the hot water with her head lying limply on his shoulder, murmuring over and over that "everything is all right. I love you. Don't leave me…..god, don't leave me, Ana." Slowly, light and understanding came back into Ana's eyes. "I make things bad for you," she whimpered. "You'd be happy, freer without me." "No, no, baby. You make my life worth living. Without you I'd waste away and die. I'm so happy with you and Macy. Stay with me. Stay with me. Promise me." Christian's tone was getting desperate. She had to believe him. He wrapped her legs around his waist and gently slipped inside her. It was the only way he knew to truly connect. "Deeper, Christian. You feel so good, filling me. Please, harder. When you come, stay with me, too." At her words, he exploded. Being wanted and needed by Ana was what _he_ most needed in life. He stayed in her, clinging to her fiercely.

Taylor had gone to Grey Manor for Carrick and Grace, feeling that what they were about to learn about their baby girl might make them unfit for driving later. He also insisted that Carrick bring along Power of Attorney papers. Other than that they knew nothing and were baffled. Now they sat around the dining table at Escala with Mia and Ryan, waiting for Christian. No one was talking. Mia leaned back in her chair, arms crossed, an expression of boredom and disdain on her face. She clearly did not get the seriousness of what she had tried to do. She'd never been held accountable for any of her actions in her whole life and didn't expect blame for what had happened today. Christian walked into the great room with Ana in his arms. He laid her on the couch and covered her with a blanket. He didn't want to be far from her in case she awakened or had a dream.

"Christian, what in the devil is going on? No one is telling us anything," complained Grace.

"Mia came by for a 'visit' with Ana this afternoon, mom. What transpired during that visit is on the tape that Ryan is going to show you. Ryan…." Christian nodded toward the laptop. Ryan explained that normally audio/video surveillance is disconnected in private areas of the house but that Gail had come to him expressing concern so he checked first on the lock to Macy's room.

It was engaged.

Thus, he turned on the cameras first. There was something about Mia's stance that disturbed him and Gail. Then Gail didn't like the way that Mia took Macy from Ana. She could tell that Ana was resistant. At that he turned up the audio and what he heard and saw from that point alerted him that Ana was in danger. At this point, Ryan turned on the screen and played back the tape. As Grace gasped and her hand flew to her mouth, Carrick looked stricken. Mia made a "much ado about nothing" comment but was clearly bothered by her parent's reaction. As the tape concluded with Christian running to his wife, Grace began to sob while Carrick put his arm around her shoulder.

"Did we raise a sociopath, Cary?" cried Grace. Christian picked up Mia's purse, removing her black Amex and her car keys….both of which he'd given her. A wail of protest erupted from her angry mouth.

"Mia, I don't know if you're a sociopath but I do know that you are badly spoiled and not just by mom and dad. I've adored you since they brought you home and I've never refused you anything. I didn't use a lick of sense. I just loved your happiness when I gave you things. And now the woman who is my world almost paid the ultimate price."

They were interrupted by the ping of the elevator. Christian didn't look up.

"Hello, John, good of you to come on short notice," Christian acknowledged Dr. Flynn. "Well, Christian, I was intrigued by Taylor's description of what's gone on here today. I was sure that he exaggerated. Then, again, Taylor's being anything but blunt and straightforward would be highly unlikely. So, let's see this tape, shall we?."

Thirty minutes later, John was having difficulty maintaining a bland façade. He looked at Mia.

"Young lady, did you realize that your words and actions were leading to the possible death of your sister-in-law?" "I didn't think about it at all. I just wanted my brother back. I mean, look at them right now," griped Mia. "I'm being villified and they're making cow-eyes at each other as if my fate didn't matter. I used to be really nice to her but then she got greedy and started hogging all of Christian's attention. Besides, how is it my fault if she decided to take a header off the railing? I didn't push her. I didn't tell her to kill herself. Someone that unhinged shouldn't be in charge of a baby anyway."

"At this stage," John cautioned , "there are two options for us to consider. Your parents agree to accept full responsibility for you and you enter treatment OR we show this tape to the police and you're arrested for attempted murder."

"Attempted murder!" cawed Mia. "I'd rather go to court and watch dad make the jury laugh, right dad?"

"Mia, I just watched you try to manipulate a woman struggling back from mental illness into throwing herself to her death. There is no way to get a jury to guffaw over that. You wouldn't stand a chance in court with any lawyer representing you. Picture this: fingerprinting, strip search, orange jumpsuit, sharing a cell with a stranger and a chrome toilet out in the open. Need I go on?"

"Sign the POA, get the help you need, please. Do not put your mother and me through a trial, Mia." "POAs, trials, murder….are you guys kidding? You're making a big deal out of nothing, at least nothing that's my fault. I just came here to tell Ana to stop monopolizing my brother's attention and then she gets all weird and tries to take a header off the balcony. And now you're blaming me?"

Mia was angry and indignant.

"You saw the tape, Mia. Your mother and I saw the tape. Definitely, you need to see reality. Now I'm giving you a minute to sign the POA papers and then I'm calling the police and we'll see what they make of the evidence. However, understand this, once I call them, there's no going back. They'll take you out of here in cuffs." Mia looked around at her parents, her usually overly protective brother, even her CPO Fred. She was alone. No one was on her side. With shaky hands she signed the POA and shoved it back across the table to John Flynn.

Flynn tucked it into his briefcase and texted something on his phone. A moment later, 2 men in white uniforms arrived. "These gentlemen will escort you to a residential facility for treatment, Mia," said John quietly. "Well, I'll have to go home to pack first," said Mia. "Everything you need will be provided for you, Mia. You'll wear the same blue uniform as everyone else." Mia looked horrified. She felt washed-out in blue. Grace and Carrick got up to hug her goodbye as she cried.

Ana struggled to get out of Christian's arms but he held her fast. He would not let her better nature push her to embrace the woman who'd just tried to kill her. When Ana realized that her husband was deliberately keeping her from her inclination to forgive, she stopped and looked into his face. His sister had tried to take Ana away from him, he was wrecked from this and could not forgive. He needed, instead, to be comforted himself. So, Ana smiled adoringly at him and cupped his face with her warm hands. She lightly kissed his lips and then buried her face in his shoulder. It was what he needed. He held tight to his world. Then he cradled Ana and carried her to see Macy….his family safely together.

CHAPTER 28

"What the fuck is going on, bro? What is this crap mom and dad are giving me about Mia trying to kill Ana? I stop by for a quick visit and find mom bawling and dad drinking bourbon before breakfast and they tell me that my little sister, who couldn't hurt a fly, is in a psychiatric facility. They're such a mess. I could barely make sense of what they were telling me. Christian?"

Elliot's expression was disbelieving, frightened and angry. A while ago he was in a good mood after a great night with Kate and now he had to go home to tell her that Mia was in an institution. She and Mia were pretty tight and this would hurt her bad. He needed facts. Ordinarily, Christian would have been working but Ana, who had difficulty with him being gone most of the time, was still too shaken and confused. She kept questioning her own behavior toward Christian. Was she needy? Was she a danger to Macy? Was she anywhere near normal? Without a word to his older brother, Christian gestured to the laptop on the table and turned it on. Elliot played the tape over and over. Then, finally, he closed the lid and dropped his head on the table.

"Oh, my fuckin' lord, what was she thinking?" Elliot groaned.

"She was thinking that she wanted all the attention and Ana was in the way," replied Christian.

"How can you sound so cold? This is your little sister!" accused Elliot.

"Sorry, El. I'm still in shock. There was no sleep in this house last night and my wife doesn't want me to leave her alone with her baby. Right now Ryan is with her. She's worked so hard to get well and Mia's 'chat' with her set her back. Last night I couldn't keep up with all her nightmares. My heart is just breaking for her. So, no, right now my sympathises are not with Mia. By the way, how's the arm?"

"Hurts. Weak. But suddenly the least of my issues. Elena tries to kill me. Then my sister tries to kill my other sister. My head is reeling. What does John have to say about all this? I mean, it was just jealousy gone wrong, right? Maybe Mia just needs some medication, a little talk therapy. It worked for you."

Elliot looked hopeful and it hurt Christian that he couldn't offer his brother more hope. "John can theorize but he isn't privy to all the details, El. He isn't her doctor. I don't want to scare you but I can tell you that what he saw on that laptop _did_ scare him. And my case is different. I know I have problems. I work on them as does Ana. That's one of the many things that angers me about this. Ana was doing so well and this is a real setback. I want my wife to be happy and confident and at peace again. For a while it seemed as though she was on the brink and after a few minutes of Mia, well, her therapist says we're close to square one. "I know that Mia has always been our little princess but I think that you can understand why I'm feeling little concern for her right now. God, you should have heard her howl when I took away her Amex and car keys. She'd just tried to kill someone and her biggest concern was her toys."

"But Mia has never been mean-spirited or even angry much," Elliot pointed out. "I was always kind of jealous of the way she'd squeal with excitement and jump into your arms when you arrived."

"Well, there's a clue for you. Maybe that behavior wasn't normal. You are certainly the better brother, El. I was just rich enough to give her anything she wanted and stupid enough to do so."

"And, you were rarely around. I was too easy," grimaced Elliot, "while you were a 'get'. I used to just think that she loved you more."

"No, El, I'm wondering now if she loved anyone or if she was capable of it. The Mia we thought we knew couldn't have sat still while her parents fell apart in front of her. All she could do was glare at Ana." "Well, I'd planned on taking Ana and Macy out on the Grace today for some relaxation but she's back to worrying that one of us would throw our daughter overboard."

"And I have to go home now," moaned Elliot, "and somehow tell my wife that her adored sister-in-law tried to kill her best friend. Migraine, here we come. Hey, there's an idea!"

"We should all have migraines?" chuckled Christian.

"No, we all go out on the water. Kate and Ana could talk. Macy and Joe could coo at each other. You and I could drink beer."

"I don't know, El. I don't know if Ana would be up for that. Maybe Kate could talk her into it. If she knew that Kate was upset, she'd lose herself in trying to help her."

Kate had been crying for at least an hour while Elliot tried to comfort her and watch for signs of an oncoming migraine. Meanwhile, their usually mild-mannered son was wailing and a bottle wasn't doing it. He wanted his mother's breast and, frankly, so did his father. Elliot was a desperate man.

"What the hell, El? It's almost midnight!" Christian had just gotten his wife and daughter to sleep. He figured he had about a hour to sit in his study and drink bourbon before he'd have to check on Ana and her nightmares. He was expecting a busy night ahead between soothing his traumatized wife and feeding Macy.

"Tell me about it," snarled Elliot. "I need to talk to Ana. Kate is a mess and that screaming you hear in the background is my hungry son who'll accept nothing but mother's milk. Ana is the only person who can talk Kate off the ledge."

"You did not just say that," growled Christian.

"What? Too soon? Sorry, bro," apologized Elliot, "I'm so frazzled I didn't know what I was saying."

"I just got Ana to sleep. I'm not going to wake her up only to have Kate upset her. Give the phone to your wife."

"Wait. You're going to talk to her? This I have to hear," laughed Elliot. "Kate, honey, phone for you from Escala." Much sniffling accompanied Kate's acceptance of the phone.

"Ana," she wailed.

"Now listen to me, you babbling baby. This isn't about you and you're being selfish. Those words sound familiar? Well, now it's your turn to listen. Elliot cannot keep his head alone. He needs you. Ana needs you. Joe certainly needs you. Pull it together. Understand, sis?" Christian was kind of enjoying himself. Although he'd come to accept and even like Kate, he'd always wanted to tell her off…..for any reason at all. More sniffling.

"I'm sorry, Christian. You're right. You are. I'm going to go feed my son now. Elliot, get your hands off me now or you won't get to put them on me later. Cripes, Christian, ever since your wife taught me to give blowjobs, Elliot needs more sucking than Joe."

"She what!? TMI, Kate and goodnight."

With that, Christian rang off, poured the bourbon back into the bottle and headed off to settle his baby daughter with a warm bottle. Damn, it had been a long and horrific day! About the time that Macy went down, Ana was up. It was clear that Carla had brought along all the exes in her nightly visit to her daughter. Christian had just tucked Macy in when he heard the tell-tale sounds of his wife in pain. He raced into the bedroom and was out of his clothes in seconds and into bed with Ana. Her pillow and her head were soaked with perspiration and she was fighting for breath.

It was worse than he'd ever seen her but then it was the first time that her sister-in-law had tried to kill her. Christian pulled Ana into his embrace, rocking her and whispering her name. She began crying out for him and he struggled to get through to her. She woke, screaming his name, thrashing about. He forced her to face him.

"See me, Ana. See me. I'm here, just me. You're safe. They're all gone now. It's just me. Look into my eyes, Ana. See me." Christian fought to keep the fear out of his voice. Ana's breathing slowed. She reached out a hand and touched her husband's face before collapsing against his chest. He held her tightly, shushing her.

"Mustn't wake Macy. I just got her to sleep."

"I love you, Christian. I love you." Ana melted into him, repeating over and over that she loved him until she gradually eased into a peaceful rest. Christian held her as they curled up together. There were tears flowing down his cheeks. His wife loved him. He brought her peace. If he never did more in this life, that was enough.

Exhausted, they slept late. Gail dressed and fed the little girl she considered her grandchild before going about her chores with Macy in a sling across her chest. Thus involved, she was startled when she felt Christian hugging her from behind. "Gail, with all that was happening yesterday, I forgot to thank you. You saved my wife's life and thus, mine."

"Christian and I have been talking, Gail, and we cannot think of two better people to be our child's godparents than you and Ryan."

Ana was hugging Gail from the front. "This isn't just gratitude, Gail. Godparents are the couple you choose because you know that you can always trust them to care for your child. Please accept. Please. We just want the best for Macy." They made quite the quartet, standing in the great room, all scrunched together….Christian, Gail, Macy and Ana. Macy patted Gail's cheek and giggled…just like her mom. Gail began crying. Christian put his arm around Ana and the two looked at each other, clueless. "Yes, yes, of course," sobbed Gail. Just then Ryan came careering around the corner from the surveillance room before reasserting his dignity. "Only doing my job, sir."

"Saving my wife's life is "only doing your job", Ryan?" Christian strove to appear stern and insulted.

"Yes, sir. Most of the credit should go to Mrs. Jones sharp instincts." By now the twinkle in Grey's eyes was evident to all except the quaking Ryan. Christian turned and walked slowly to Ryan who stood like a statue. "When Gail came to you and said something was wrong, you didn't write her off as just the hysterical housekeeper. You didn't hesitate to check out her concerns. You didn't take lightly that Macy's door was locked. You didn't question your right to check the audio. You listened to _your _instincts. You broke the door down and with a split second left to you, you tackled my wife and brought her back from the brink."

Ryan noted that Christian's hands were trembling and his eyes were watery. He was picturing Ana falling to the concrete below, Ana broken and bleeding. Something in Grey's manner compelled Ryan to cease worrying that this man was his powerful, billionaire boss. He quickly crossed the distance between them and pulled Christian into bear hug. Christian returned the hug.

"Understood, Sir. It will be my greatest honor to be Macy's godfather." He smiled at Ana and then excused himself to get back to his station.

CHAPTER 29

Mia didn't make much progress in the months to come. When she was informed that Gail was now Macy's godmother, an honor Mia felt should be hers, she became so incensed that she half-destroyed the visitor's room, terrified other residents and visitors and brought her mother to tears. That sort of behavior wasn't allowed and so Mia was put into a straight jacket and hauled away, screaming. Many visits were like that. Still Grace and Carrick dragged themselves to every visitation. Often Kate and Elliot came, too. Mia would always question the whereabouts of Ana and Christian.

"So, Christian isn't allowed again, eh?" snarled Mia. "Tell me, is he ever allowed out or does she just tie him to the bed?"

"Mia," said Carrick in a level tone. "Ana would like to come but _Christian_ won't allow it."

"I don't believe it," gawped Mia. "Christian loves me. Ana is just a constant strain on him." "Geez, Mia, you really have been out of touch. How long have you believed that crap?" mocked Elliot.

"Christian has loved me since the moment Mom lay me in his arms. But look at the past few years….He practically went crazy trying to deal with Ana. I see things, El, I'm not delusional." Now it was everyone else's turn to gawp.

"Sis, how long have you felt this way about Ana? How long have you resented her and felt that she took up too much of Christian's time?

"She used to be fun when it was just you and Kate but then she and Christian walked in the door one day, completely out of the blue, hands locked together, married. After that he was all about Ana. He was always touching her, kissing her hand, her hair….couldn't take his eyes off of her. It was disgusting. And I, I was the shadow in the corner."

"But," protested Elliot, "you seemed as worried as the rest of us when she disappeared."

"Sure I was…after I saw what it was doing to my brother. I wanted her back for his sake. But, good grief, her neediness was worse than ever and his obsession with her made him ever more inaccessible. I needed to tell her that she was hurting him. I wanted Ana to be like Kate. You two aren't always all over each other. "God," laughed Mia, "she was so easy to manipulate. Her brain must be mush," Mia chuckled.

With the slightest movement, Elliot surprised Mia with a slap across her face. It was the first time in her life that she'd been struck. Elliot's face remained impassive. Mia looked shocked and turned to her parents, wailing. Grace and Carrick merely stared at her.

"You all stopped loving me when _she_ showed up!" screeched Mia. Grace reached across the table and took Mia's hand. In calm, gentle voice, she said, "You're wrong, dear. We've never loved you more. The old Mia was easy to love. This Mia, this hatefilled, angry, indeed murderous Mia is hard to love but we do, more than ever, because you are in such trouble. But you have not begun to admit to your crime and that is the first step toward getting well. Your father and I lie in bed at night, sometimes crying together, because we don't recognize our precious daughter and we miss her so.

"Thus far, we've seen no progress, no sign that you are getting better. You stubbornly cling to your insistence on innocence and until you begin to understand that what you did was wrong, we'll cry and we'll miss you but we'll always love you. Do you understand, Mia?"

"Yeah, I understand all right. I'm a killer and Ana is an angel," growled Mia. "But none of you understand that Ana comes first and I fit nowhere."

Suddenly Elliot rose to his feet, grabbed his little sister in a bear hug and refused to let go even as she pushed and kicked and screamed. Quietly, in her ear, he told her that she was loved, over and over. Finally, she calmed down and began to sob. Together they sank to the floor and for a while they rocked and cried. Then an attendant arrived to take Mia back to her room. At first Elliot refused to let go. Grace and Carrick put their arms around Elliot until he stood up and then they enveloped their daughter in their arms.

"We will return, my love. Please work hard with your doctors and try to get well." The attendant put an arm around Mia and led her away.

"The next time you hit your sister, you're going to spend the entire afternoon sitting on the stairs, Elliot," scolded Grace, with a small smile. She looked so worn and tired….it broke Elliot's heart.

"Yes, Mom.

.+.

Christian was sitting on the floor, on a blanket, with Macy. He was counting her toes and trying to get her to say 'da da' to no avail. She giggled and blew bubbles at him, making him laugh. They'd had the christening the past weekend and a small party…determined to carry on even with the elephant called Mia in the room. There was happiness and singing and playing with the babies but still there was unspoken sadness. Ana came to stand by Christian. He looked up to smile at her. He put his hand around her leg and leaned over to kiss it. "I don't know…your legs or Macy's toes. Tough choice."

Ana beamed. "One wee babe needs a bath. Would you like to join us, da da?" Christian scooped Macy up in her blanket, making her squeal with delight and threw his other arm around Ana as they marched off to the bath. Ana climbed into the bath while Christian undressed and both looked hungrily at the other. After 30 minutes cuddled in her mother's arms and warm water, Macy had dozed off. Christian put Macy to bed and then went to join her mother in the master suite. He pulled his wife into his arms and kissed her head.

"Too sleepy, love?", Christian murmured in her ear. Ana curled, burrowing into her husband's chest. She began planting tiny, soft kisses on each of his scars while her hand worked its way down his happy trail. She very gently kissed his tip and then twirled her tongue around and down until she'd reached the end and then started up again, sucking harder and harder as she climbed. She loved this, giving this to her man. He became incoherent, grabbing the sheets and trembling furiously until he finally bellowed, grunted and ended with crying out her name. Without fail, Christian had always called her name when he was coming because sex with Ana was not just sex. It was a communion of sorts. The only person he'd ever told this to was Ana…..who didn't laugh or call it schmaltzy.

Ana wasn't insulted when Christian fell instantly asleep. Lately he'd been weary all day. He was working on a tough deal at GEH, a couple of his key people were on vacation and another out on long-term sick leave. Before Ana and Madaleine he would have simply worked round the clock but now he wanted to get home early….to blow on Macy's toes, have dinner with his wife and maybe have the time and energy to make love. Making love with Ana was essential to his well-being. If he missed a day, he felt bereft, missing Ana. She was his home and he needed to be as close as possible to home.

Also, ever since Mia had tried to kill Ana, Christian had been thrown off balance. His protective instincts had grown even stronger and his nightmares as well. His parents wanted to talk with him about Mia but he refused to utter her name. Ana wanted to visit Mia but Christian nearly went ballistic at the thought of Ana being anywhere near Mia. And while Ana was getting healthier by leaps and bounds, Flynn had his hands full with Christian's insecurities. Flynn understood that Christian had been put through the wringer, starting with Ana leaving him, her mental and physical problems when she returned and, the cherry on top, his sister trying to kill Ana. The pre-Ana Christian wouldn't have been disturbed by much of anything. He won all the deals he wanted. He had no emotional distractions. Ana's love had smashed right through all the barriers he'd built and left him vulnerable to the emotions, good and bad, that plague ordinary humans. He was learning through experience but often he was still overwhelmed and confused, asking Flynn always…"Am I doing the right thing?" Flynn had a hard time convincing Christian that he was doing his best and that there isn't always a 'right' thing.

CHAPTER 30

So, one day, with Ana's encouragement, he took his family to see Mia. It was a visit suggested by her psychologist wherein he and Ana and Macy would be in a room with a two-way mirror through which they could be observed by Mia. Her doctor was hoping that by watching the family Mia would come to some acceptance of Ana's place in Christian's life and perhaps even understand the harm she had done.

"I feel like a zoo animal," remarked Christian.

"Just behave normally. This room is decked out to look like an ordinary waiting room…..magazines, chairs and couches, toys. Mia believes that you've come to see her so this gives us a chance to observe her reactions." Ana sat on the couch and Christian, next to her, held Macy. His free hand was, of course, holding Ana's. He occasionally kissed her knuckles. He nuzzled her hair. He hardly ever took his eyes off Ana except to look at Macy. If not for his $6000 suit, $500 haircut and uncommonly good looks, one would think that he was an ordinary suburban dad….one who was madly in love with his wife. Mia observed. She saw the kisses, the touches. She saw the adoration in Christian's eyes as he listened to Ana, putting his arm around her and kissing her temple. She saw how Christian lit up at Ana's smile. She watched him laugh and her heart ached because once upon a time Mia had made him laugh like that.

At the 30 minute mark, Christian began to get antsy. He decided that it was time to leave so he left Ana in the room while he went to find the doctor. When he returned, Ana was gone and the door to the room behind the mirror was open. His blood froze. He turned to the doctor and handed off Madaleine. Then he walked slowly and stiffly into the room where he feared he'd find that Mia had finished what she started. He found Mia sobbing hysterically in the arms of Ana while Ana rocked and shushed her. She whispered something in Mia's ear that brought on a new round of crying. Suddenly Mia stopped. Several feet behind Ana stood Christian, looming, his eyes dark, his hands fisted at his sides. There was a quaver in his voice as he asked Ana to step back, away from Mia. Ana was about to assure Christian that she was fine until she saw the fear in his eyes. So she went to him. She raised her hand to caress his face and smiled into his eyes until she felt him relax and watched as his eyes lightened. He crushed her to him. Then he listened as she spoke softly into his ear. He looked doubtful but he nodded.

He turned to Mia and ordered her to come to him. Mia looked uncertainly at Ana and then walked into Christian's arms. He held her for a moment, kissed her head and told her that they had to go but they would return soon. "Work hard at getting well, Mia. And remember, I'll always be your brother. I love you." Then he turned to Ana and led her out of the room, mumbling, "I was terrified that she was going to shiv you."

He was serious but Ana just giggled. When Ana giggled, it was hard for Christian to remain serious or angry. Later, as he labored over their lasagna dinner, Christian watched Ana trying to convince their baby daughter that solid food in the form of apple sauce could be just as good as mommy's breast. He laughed because he didn't believe it either. "Christian, she'll be a year old before we know it and it's time she was weaned. Besides, I'd like to wear something that I haven't leaked on. Seems I'm always looking down at wet spots on the front of my shirts. Your turn. You try to feed her," whined Ana. "Sorry, baby, but I'm on Macy's side. I love to watch you feed her and I love to lap up your leakage, too," Christian chuckled. "Besides, it was a tough day. When I turned around and knew that you were in the same room as my maniac sister….." he stopped stirring the sauce for a moment and took a deep breath.

Ana put Macy in her playpen and walked to Christian, wrapping her arms around him as he stared down at the pan. He wrapped his arms over hers and then turned and held her tightly to his chest. "Just got a little scared is all. I've almost lost you so many times, Ana. I'm desperate to keep you safe." "And you do, my dear. I sleep well because I know you're on guard, always looking out for me and Macy. I love you so," murmured Ana as she nuzzled his chest. Ana looked up into his eyes and watched them darken.

"Now," he spoke deep and serious. Ana nodded and reached around her husband to turn off the flame under the pan. There was an a sense of urgency in the air. Christian backed Ana up against the wall, smashing his mouth against hers. There was desperation in the way he pushed up her skirt and then torn her little white cotton underpants from her body. He pushed himself inside her and then pushed harder and deeper again. His mouth over hers was gasping for breath. He grunted out, word by word….can't. get. deep. enough…as he pushed into Ana over and over.

Ana finally gently moved him off her. "Christian," she asked softly, "what is wrong?"' He answered by grabbing her again and filling her mouth with his tongue before she pulled back once more. "Christian," she said a bit more sharply, "talk to me." But Christian didn't seem to hear her. He was breathing so hard. He picked Ana up and rushed to the bedroom where he quickly undressed her and himself. He buried his face in between her legs and his fingers inside her and much as she tried to resist, her body betrayed her. She came, screaming, the power of the orgasm tearing through her. Then, again, Christian trying desperately to bury himself inside her as deeply as possible. He was hyperventilating and again Ana pulled away. "Christian, Christian! Look at me!" It was if he was in another world. Slowly his eyes lightened and he could see Ana again. He stopped pounding into her and embraced her gently. Still, he was shivering and needed to hold her close.

"What if she'd hurt you? Mia is bigger than you. Before I could stop her, she could have pushed your head through the glass, anything." His voice was hoarse, strained, scared. "Christ, Ana, from the day we met the most driving force within me was to protect you. Knowing you needed me gave my life meaning. I fell in love so fast that I didn't know what it was. And yet no matter how I tried to keep you safe, it seems you were always in trouble. And with each danger, my need to take care of you grew even stronger. Ironically, that need to protect you means getting as close as possible. I'm sorry, honey, I didn't mean to hurt you."

"You didn't hurt me, Christian, but I knew that you weren't yourself. I'm sorry I scared you when I went in to see Mia. I wasn't thinking clearly and I was selfish. I was thinking of Mia when you should have come first. Can you forgive me?"

"I love you, Anastasia. I can not foresee circumstances that would ever require my forgiving you," he smiled down at her. "Hey, Elliot had an idea. A trip round the Sound with the babies and Kate. How would you feel about that?" Christian saw the flash of fear in Ana's eyes. He knew that she was trying so hard to be brave. It was a big ask. "Nevermind, sweetheart. We'll get Mom and Dad to babysit Joe and Madaleine. They'll love it and Elliot can cuss to his heart's content," he chuckled. Despite her misgivings, Ana agreed. She knew that she and Christian were doing well as parents and now needed to get back to being lovers as well.

It was a breathtaking day on the Sound. Bright and deep blue. Elliot and Christian had all the sails up but the breeze was gentle and the Grace slowly flowed along. Ana and Christian stood at the railing, her back to his chest, simply watching. Sighing. Meanwhile, Elliot and Kate were preparing lunch and bickering over tomatoes. Then disappearing into the back bedroom. "We may be having lunch around dinnertime," chuckled Christian. "That's okay. I'm content right here in your arms. I'm not hungry." "Of course, you're not," Christian grumbled. "I, on the other hand, am ready to dive for my dinner." Ana giggled and Christian held her closer. Eventually, El and Kate emerged, giggling and snuggling and back to arguing over the amount of tomatoes to put in the salad. They finally settled on a side dish of tomatoes which they could have agree to originally but Christian thought that they just liked to fight. It certainly fired them up.

Christian didn't need a fight to want his wife. She walked in the room and smiled at him and he was ready to go. If he could make love to her whenever he wanted, they'd never leave the bed. Except for the 'incident' with Mia, things between he and Ana had never been better. Ana was well and he was back to habitually worrying about her and Macy's safety. He was right about lunch. It turned into dinner as predicted with Elliot and Kate arguing about sharing tomatoes. Still, it was a perfect night. It was one of the last good ones before winter would be setting in. The sky was clear and there was an abundance of stars. He was trying to explain the constellations to Ana when he realized that she was sleeping against his shoulder.

CHAPTER 31

Suddenly, he grew uneasy. He couldn't determine at first what was bothering him. He looked to his brother who seemed unaware of a problem. Perhaps Christian was just in worrying mode. Then he heard it clearly. An engine. He looked out into the darkness. Nothing. Just the soft purr of a motor.

"Elliot, take Kate and Ana below. Call the coast guard and give them our position."

"What?

"Now, EL." Christian's voice was calm, in control, as he stood up to lift anchor. Elliot wakened Ana and he and Kate took her below. He told them to go to the bedroom and stay low. Then he put out a mayday to the nearest coastguard. Now he could hear the engine, too, and it was moving fast. No lights but he knew that it was heading straight for the Grace. He explained to the officer that the Grace was about to be rammed and possibly boarded. Help was needed asap. The officer assured him that a patrol boat was not far out. Elliot yelled for Christian to get below but it was too late.

He heard the roar of the other boat's engine as it picked up speed, felt it slam into the Grace and, through the open door, saw his brother go flying into the air. Quickly he closed the door, locked it and blocked it with his body.

"Elliot, get away from the door. They may have guns. Get on your stomach and crawl into the back. Stay with Kate and both stay low."

"Ana?"

"Go, Elliot!" Elliot didn't know why he was obeying Ana but something in her voice told him that she knew what she was doing. He made it to the back room and huddled with Kate on the floor between the bed and the wall. "What the hell is Ana doing? growled Kate. "I don't know but she seems to."

"We're taking on water, El. We can't stay here long."

"It's okay, honey, the coast guard is close."

Meanwhile, Ana was going through the kitchen drawers. She knew a secret. Mac, her husbands deckhand, had told her once that he kept a gun in a kitchen drawer, just in case. Christian, being very anti-gun, didn't know but Ana had been taught by her father when she was young and she prayed that Mac still kept that gun. Yes. There. A Glock. She yelled through the galley window. "Christian, are you in the water?" No answer. She gulped with fear choking her throat. Perhaps he just didn't want to give away his position.

"Don't worry, honey. I've got this."

Christian was climbing out of the water and boarding the other boat. She was right. He couldn't give away his position. What the hell did she mean..she's got this? He had to find the pilot and prevent him from pulling back and ramming the Grace again. She wasn't made for battle.

From far away, too far, he picked up the sound of sirens. Back on the Grace, heavy footsteps alerted Ana that 2 men were coming toward the galley door. She wasn't scared. Worse things in life had scared her. The Glock was loaded. The men tried the door. Finding it locked, they ordered it opened and promised not to hurt anyone once they got what they wanted. Oh, yeah, Ana wondered, what was it they wanted? Receiving no answer, they began kicking the door. It was solidly built. Nothing cheap about a boat from Christian's shipyard. As they kicked and swore, Ana huddled in a corner under the dining table, her aim steady at the stairs. Suddenly the door collapsed. The men laughed and stomped down the stairs. As both their legs appeared, Ana fired.

The first man, grabbing for his knee, screamed while the second man hesitated a moment too long, turned to run and screamed as Ana put a bullet in the back of his knee. Both were armed but dropped their guns. The sirens from the patrol boat were blasting and the lights showed Ana the location of the guns. She quickly scooped them up and threw them far up the deck toward the bow and out of reach of the men. Not that they were concerned with anything but the terrible pain in their legs. Ana yelled out the window again.

"Don't worry, honey, everything under control here."

Christian had jumped the pilot and knocked him out. However, he'd heard the shots and was anxious to get back to the Grace. He jumped from the bow onto the stern of the Grace to find Elliot lifting Kate through the skylight. "It was getting pretty wet in there, bro," explained Elliot, as Christian pushed past him to get to the bow, desperately calling for Ana. She was placing her gun with the others when Christian came dashing around to find her. He held her at arms length, looking for blood, while she reassured him that any blood would belong to the two men squirming and crying on the galley stairs.

"I shot them with my widdle gun," she beamed. Christian stared at his wife in baffled amazement. He was so relieved to find her unharmed that he didn't have the sense to ask where she'd gotten a gun. He just embraced her until she could barely breathe.

"Honey, you're really wet. We'd better get a blanket around you," worried Ana.

As the men of the coast guard boarded, they stood stupefied. A pile of guns at the bow. A pile of bleeding, crying men on the galley steps. A once beautiful catamaran going down. They hustled everyone onto the patrol boat and helped the injured men onto another patrol boat. The captain squatted down in front of the blanket-wrapped group and smiled.

"How are you doing?"

"Very glad to see you," smiled a grateful Elliot. "Those guys tell you anything?"

"Oh, yeah. They were out fishing when you appeared out of nowhere and then the little lady here tried to kill them when they boarded to help you. That's some aim you've got there, ma'am."

"My daddy taught me when I was only ten," grinned Ana. "Shoot to maim, not to kill, he said."

"Well, they're maimed all right," laughed the captain. "Don't worry. We'll get the truth out of them later. We're towing your ship into harbor. Shame about the damage. We'll have to get you checked for hypothemia and than take statements. Shouldn't be too long before you can go home."

Christian was still staring blankly at his very-pleased-with-herself wife. "The gun? "Oh, I'm always packin' heat, darlin'. You never know when you'll be boarded by pirates," Ana laughed.

"Ana," Christian said in his warning voice. "Mac keeps it on board for protection. Good thing, huh?"

"I hate guns, Ana."

"Betcha don't hate this one, tho."

"Kate, did you know that Ana could shoot?" asked Christian.

"Did she know? She's back there with me, telling me not to be a hero. 'Ana will shoot them', she tells me," Elliot marvels. "If they'd gotten past Ana, Kate would have beat them up before I got up off the floor. We're married to a couple of hellions, bro."

"Christian kept the other guy from ramming us again. If he hadn't, well, you know…glub, glub, glub. I was kinda terrified that he drowned, too."

Tears began to form in Ana's eyes and she turned her head to bury it in Christian's chest. He kissed her head. God, she was adorable. A thought occurred to him. "Hey, captain. Mention the name Elena Lincoln to those men. You might see a light go off in their eyes."

"FUCK!, I will somehow pay you back for every humiliation you have heaped upon me, Grey!", fumed Elliot, as Ana once again took him down.

"I think that this is where I came in," snickered Christian.

Carrick, sitting next to his son on the stairs, nursing a bourbon, replied, "It was awfully nice of you to agree to Mia's weekend furlough, son. I'm not so sure that I'd be so generous if she tried to kill Grace." "Well, that's Ana again, dad. I am married to the kindest woman on earth, next to mom, of course. Keep Mia away from the knives."

They watched as Kate, Mia and Grace mocked Elliot. Every face in the room was split wide with smiles. Even Macy and Joe were bouncing up and down in the playpen, giggling. Christian felt a contented warmth spread throughout his body. The woman he loved more every day was happy and well. He had a beautiful daughter. The man who thought his life was going to be one fuck and duck after another until he died alone had found Ana and had a family. He had everything. He had Ana.

EPILOGUE

The bad guys' eyes _did_ pop open at the mention of Elena Lincoln's name. Two more of her demented subs. Elena was convicted of the attempted murders of four people and, due to her propensity to keep trying to kill them, sentenced to life in solitary confinement. Sadly (?) she was quite ill after years of smoking and didn't live long anyway.

Mia was released to outpatient status after 2 years and continues to undergo weekly therapy. Happily, she has found a kind boyfriend and a good employer and is growing up.

Due to her pregnancy issues nearly killing her and her child, Christian refused to allow another natural birth. He had a vasectomy. He and Ana have since adopted and intend to continue doing so.

Kate, on the other hand, loves being pregnant. She and Elliot now have four children and still find time to argue over tomatoes.


End file.
